The Orphan Train
by redheadvampiress
Summary: First of "Chronicles of Affection." When the boys find the body of a girl dumped in a back alleyway, they are introduced to a type of crime they've never fought before. LeoXOC Rated for violence, language, and adult themes. Complete.
1. Chapter 1: I Need A Hero

**Okay, so...here is the beginning of my first TMNT fanfic ever...it's a really shaky start, but stay with me; it'll get better. I think this chapter is sooooo cheesy, but I was listening to the song and I felt inspired. I could see it playing through my head, like a movie, but when I got it down on paper, it wasn't as good as I thought it was going to be. But still, I think it kind of sets the mood for the story, so here goes nothing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the lyrics to "Holding out for a Hero," Bonnie Tyler does. I also do not own the boys, although I wish I did. On second thought, no I don't. It's bad enough trying to feed one teenaged brother; I don't want to imagine feeding four.**

It had been business as usual for the turtle brothers that night. They had gone out looking for a fight, much to Leo's discomfort. If he'd had his way, they would still be sitting in front of the TV, vegging out and finishing up the rest of the pizza. But it was three to one, and Master Splinter needed a little peace and quiet by himself. So, reluctantly, Leo grabbed his swords and followed his brothers out of the sewers and into the night air. Once above ground, they raced over a remarkable terrain of building roofs, cheering and yelling at the tops of their lungs.

In blunt English, they were acting like teenaged boys.

Leo had fallen behind his brothers and was about to put on an extra burst of speed to catch up when a noise reached his ears and stopped him where he stood.

It was a drumbeat at first, but it was a fast heavy one, and Leo could feel it vibrating through his feet and shell. Looking around, he found himself standing on an open roof stadium of sorts. He crept over to the edge, knowing that he probably should be with his brothers, but it wouldn't hurt to snatch a look, would it?

Looking down, he saw a huge open space; a field. There was a stage on one side of this field, where a band was playing, and the rest was packed with young humans, teenagers like him. But he didn't even notice them, because it was then that the introduction to the song was over, and the singer started singing.

He was hundreds of feet away from her, but she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Compared to the rest of the people on the stage, she was tiny, all of her band members being taller than she was. She was wearing tight black jeans and a red tank top that stretched tightly over every curve of her body, which was almost as perfect as any movie star's. She had smooth, pale skin, but it was her hair that really got his attention. It was short, but not so short that it looked like a boy's, and it was red, but not dark red like blood, or carrot-red that one commonly saw on redheads. It was red like a flame, shining gold in the stage lights. Even far away, it looked so soft and pretty that Leo longed to reach out his hand and touch it.

She began to sing, and all Heaven's angels couldn't have produced a sweeter sound.

_"Where have all the good men gone?_

_And where are all the gods?_

_Where's the streetwise Hercules_

_To fight the rising odds?_

_Isn't there a white knight _

_Upon a fiery steed?_

_Late at night I toss and I turn_

_And I dream of what I need._

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night_

_He's gotta be strong and_

_He's gotta be fast and _

_He's gotta be fresh from the fight_

_I need a hero_

_I'm holding out for a hero till the morning light_

_He's gotta be sure and_

_He's gotta be soon and _

_He's gotta be larger than life_

_Larger than life."_

He had to admit, she was an amazing performer. He had seen live concerts before on television, but most of the artists he saw were nothing compared to this. He had never seen such energy, such passion in a singer before. He had never seen anyone love the music they were singing as much as this girl did. But it was more than the performance that struck Leo. It was the song itself that made him wonder if there was such thing as fate.

A hero. She was asking for a hero. Someone strong, fast, and sure. He felt a shiver run down his spine. He was all of those things, and more of what she had described. He was always fresh out of a fight, either with his brothers or a criminal on the streets. Heck, he could even be considered larger than life. He was, after all, a six foot tall mutant turtle.

Was it just a coincidence that she would be singing this song within his earshot? That was a possibility, but Leo didn't think so. Something like this couldn't have happened by accident. But she had begun to sing again, and all thoughts of fate and such were driven from his mind.

_"Somewhere after midnight_

_In my wildest fantasies_

_Somewhere just beyond my reach_

_Is someone reaching back for me."_

The girl reached out in front of her, bending her knees in an overly dramatized gesture of desperation.

_"Racing on the thunder and_

_Rising with the heat_

_It's gonna take a Superman_

_To sweep me off my feet_

_Yeah!"_

As she repeated the chorus, Leo tuned out the words for a moment and became mesmerized by the movements of her body. She paced back and forth across the stage, and changed the microphone from one hand to the other, and sometimes she held it in both. At a couple of instances, she went up to the edge of the stage and bent at the waist out over the audience, as if emphasizing her loneliness. She tossed her head left and right, her hair flashing with every movement, but Leo was most drawn to the rolling of her hips that she often did when she wasn't moving. He had seen the act before in music videos, but the way she did it, it looked natural and not overdone like on television. Almost as if she did it without thinking, or even realizing it. He noticed that his skin temperature had risen several degrees, and suddenly, there was a huge, inexplicable ache in the middle of his chest, right where his heart was. Not so inexplicable though, were the words that raced through his mind right at that moment.

_I want her._

He was familiar with the term, but not so much with the feeling. He had never really wanted anything very much in his life. Growing up knowing that you'll never be normal had fixed that. But now, with this girl's angelic voice ringing in his ears, eyes fixed on her beautiful hair and sensual movements, he realized that he wanted her more than anything he had ever wanted in his sixteen years of life. He found himself gripping the edge of the roof tightly in his hands, his heart pounding in his ears, and his whole body throbbing with…what? He didn't understand this feeling that was now coursing through his veins like molten fire. He had never felt it before. He took a great, shivering breath and tried to clear his head as she began to sing again.

_"Up where the mountains meet the heavens above_

_Up where the lightning strikes the sea_

_I can swear there is someone somewhere_

_Watching me."_

Though he was too far away to see her face, he knew she had looked up past the stage lights, past the heads of her audience, right into his eyes. He gasped and ducked behind the edge, out of sight, heart beating wildly with fear this time. Had she seen him? Really seen him? Or had she hoped to see something there, watching her?

"_Through the wind and the chill and the rain_

_And the storm and the flood_

_I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood."_

Now this was getting just plain creepy. Leo glared up at the starry night sky, silently cursing whatever supreme beings may be controlling their pathetic little lives. Who was it that thought they could make fun of him and will him to meet this girl he didn't know that was singing a song that they were meant to be together? Did they think it was funny? He certainly didn't.

He remained hiding behind the edge of the roof, drawing deep breaths and trying to calm down. But every time he shut his eyes, he saw her outline against the darkness. He heard her voice in his ears, even as the instruments took over and she paused for a break. He shook his head, and when he opened his eyes, he saw his brothers standing in front of him.

"Hey bigshot. What are you doin'?" asked Raf.

Leo took one last look back at the girl on the stage, and he stood up.

"Nothing," he said, and took off over the rooftops. Raf followed after a minute, but Mikey and Donny hung back, looking down into the stadium curiously.

"What do you suppose that was all about?" Mikey asked his brother.

Donny was supposed to be the smart one of the group, but at the moment he was totally clueless.

"I have no idea," he replied, and the two of them jumped quickly over the gap separating the stadium from the building next to it, not wanting to be left behind.

**So there you go: really cheesy, really poorly written first chapter. But I thought it was cool and kind of creepy the way the song fit so perfectly into the story, I just had to write it down. And to anyone who recognized that it is also featured in Shrek 2, good job. It was where I first heard it. Write a review; it's greatly appreciated, and tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2: Left For Dead

**All right, here it is: Chapter Two. Many thanks to my reviewers, you make me want to continue my work. As for the reference to the spelling of Raf's name, I wrote this before I knew that his name was spelled with a ph and not an f. Plus, I'm too lazy to keep typing ph, so in this story, it's an f. If that drives anyone crazy, my deepest apologies. It seems more like a nickname with the f in there.**

**Anyway, I don't own the TMNT, but I do own this story. I've incorporated stuff from the 2007 movie, just a head's up.**

One year later

"Remember guys, we're only out here to train."

"Ha! Train? My shell we're only out here to train. Okay jungle boy, grab a vine."

"Jungle boy. That's a good one, Raf!"

The jab hit Leo somewhere deep inside as his three brothers jumped off the roof and went sliding down the long piece of piping that was connected to it, leaving him behind, the rain running off his nose. It hurt him to see how, in so little time, their friendship and brotherhood had fallen apart so easily. In the single year that he had been away, the boys had tried to settle down and get steady jobs, Mikey posing as a costume for kids' birthday parties and such, Donny running a computer repair service, and Raf doing nothing at all. But, with no one to fight and beat up, they had turned on each other, constantly squabbling and bickering until they could hardly string two nice words together. Then he had come back, hoping to whip them into shape and turn them into disciplined warriors who put the needs of others before themselves. It was Master Splinter's intention that Leo become the leader of the group, being the strongest and most mature of his brothers, but there was a problem. They wouldn't listen to him. He had tried to begin acting like a leader, but instead they ignored him and made fun of him, like the jibe Raf had made just now. If he had been younger, Leo would have cried, but he was seventeen years old, almost a man now. He was too old to cry. Sill, his brothers had been his entire life growing up, and sometimes, the thought of them was the only thing that kept him going during those long hours training in Central America.

And now, to come back and find his family in shambles had broken his heart, but it only made him more determined to bring them together and become a team once more, only better.

He jumped after them.

They turned a corner in the street, and then he heard Mikey yell out, "Hey guys! I've found something!"

His brothers all turned the corner again, then headed into the alley where his cry had come from, all talking on top of each other.

"Good work, Mikey!"

"What'd you find?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"It's a girl," he said when they all calmed down. He pointed up the alleyway for them to see, but it did little. They couldn't see anything through the dark and the rain.

"I can't tell if she's dead or not," Mikey continued as they crept across the pavers. "She's just laying there."

As they closed the distance between them and the girl, she gradually came into view.

She was dirty and soaking wet, and as they came closer, their sharp noses caught the smell of blood, which was explained by the fresh wound on her forehead. She was lying on her back, one arm bent at the elbow, hand by her shoulder, the other crooked at an odd angle by her side. One of her knees was bent as well, touching one of her neat little black shoes to her ankle. Her head was on its side, facing them. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving.

Donny moved forward first.

"Hey," he said, reaching out with his Bo staff and poking the girl in the side. She didn't move. He crept closer. When she did nothing, he set the weapon down, by his foot so he could grab it quickly in case of emergency, and knelt down over her. His hands moved her head from side to side to check for a broken neck, then felt for her pulse.

"She's alive!" he yelled, and his brothers rushed over at the words. "She's alive," he repeated. "But barely. Her pulse is very weak, and it looks like she's unconscious. She needs medical attention, and fast!"

"Then let's get her to a hospital," said Raf.

"We can't do that! They won't take her, not without insurance."

"Maybe she has insurance."

"Maybe she doesn't."

"How would you know that?"

"How could I? I don't even know who she is, and neither do they!"

"Then what do you suggest? We can't leave her here!"

While his brothers were arguing, Leo had bent over the girl to examine her as well. She was wearing a simple white blouse, and a skirt, though it was too dark to tell exactly what the material was, white stockings and black shoes with ankle straps and small heels. A light came on in the window above them, probably some late-night stirring, and as the weak rays fell across her face, Leo gasped.

She was the girl he had seen on the stage a little over a year ago in the stadium. But oh, how changed! In a single year, her face had aged greatly, the rosy cheeks now pale, the cheekbones alarmingly pronounced. Then the light went out, and her face vanished into the darkness. As his eyes adjusted, he noticed a dark splotch on her shoulder. He frowned and moved her blouse off her shoulder so he could see the skin beneath.

"Hey Donny!" he called, and his brothers stopped their quarrel. "Come look at this."

Donny bent over the girl to observe the two round holes in her shoulder, then his face twisted.

"Bullet holes," he said grimly. "She's been shot!"

Leo's mind was made up in an instant.

"She's coming up with us."

"Leo," said Raf. "Have you been listenin' to anythin' I just said? Imagine what she's gonna think when she wakes up! She'll think we're kidnappin' her! She'll totally freak out!"

Leo put his foot down and glared at Raf, their faces only inches apart.

"I'm not going to turn my back and leave things to chance while this girl's life is on the line. Now shut up, grab her and let's get out of here."

"Okay, okay!" Raf growled, scooping up the girl in his arm and throwing her over his shoulder. "Jeez."

His brother could be really bossy sometimes. Especially now, that he'd come back from Central America. He'd been acting all high and mighty, just because Master Splinter had judged him worthy of the position of "leader." What the old rat didn't know, of course, was that Raf had wanted to be leader of the gang, and had nearly been crushed when he'd chosen Leo instead. But then again, Leo had always been Master Splinter's favorite, even though Raf was sure he was a better fighter than his brothers. He'd been able to beat all three of them at once one time, but it did no good. There was something Splinter had seen in Leo that deemed him "leader." To this day, Raf was still not sure what that was.

Once back in their underground home, Leo took charge again.

"Mikey, go get some washrags and towels so we can clean her off. Raf, put her on the couch and make sure she's comfortable. I'm going to boil some water."

"I'll go get my medicine kit," said Donny, and he and Mikey vanished into the back rooms. As Leo grabbed a pot from the cupboard and filled it with water, Raf dumped his small burden on the couch, picking her legs back up as they slid off.

"Raf do this, Raf do that. I swear," he grumbled, dusting his hands off. "If Pretty Boy can't learn to do his own dirty work…"

He stopped, staring at his hands. They were smeared with blood.

"Weird," he muttered, looking closer at them. "That ain't my blood."

Realization dawning on him, he turned and looked at the girl.

"Leo," he called.

"What?" answered his brother from the kitchen.

"I think she's been hurt somewhere over here."

"Where?" Leo had come over to look.

"Over here, on her legs or somethin'."

"What makes you say that?"

Raf showed him his hands.

"Hmmm."

Leo bent over the area where Raf had pointed. Her legs were dirty and one of her stockings had a tear in it, but other than that, he couldn't see anything. Wondering how he was going to do this and not invade the girl's privacy, he edged up the hem of her skirt just a little, but the answer to Raf's bloody hands was there in plain sight. Her thighs, at least the tops of them, were smeared with blood. Leo frowned, then stood up.

"Mikey," he said, his brother having just entered the room carrying four washrags in one hand and a towel in the other. "Go get Master Splinter." As the orange-banded turtle left the room again, Leo turned to Raf.

"He knows more about these things than we do," he said. "But if it's what I think it is…" His hands clenched into fists and he hissed through his teeth, "someone is going to pay dearly for his crimes."

Raf looked from the thin trickle of blood that had begun to run down the girl's thigh, to his hands, to his brother's hardened face, and then the full concept of what may have happened to the girl began to dawn on him.

"Monstrous," he breathed, as Mikey returned accompanied by their father, teacher and master, Splinter. On the other side of the room, Donny also entered, holding his first aid kit in his hands.

"Sorry. Took me forever to find the darned thing."

He stopped at everyone's grave faces.

"What's the matter?"

No one answered him. Instead, Master Splinter followed Mikey over to where the girl was lying on the couch, still unconscious. He swept his serene brown eyes over her.

"What happened?"

At first, no one spoke. No one knew what to say. Finally, Leo opened his mouth, staring at his feet.

"Mikey found her first. She was out in a back alleyway soaking wet in the rain. We didn't want to take any risks, and we didn't want to leave her there, so we picked her up and brought her back here. She's pretty beat up."

"You did a wise thing, my son," said the old rat. "Though I don't know what her reaction will be when she wakes up."

He smiled, but the boys did not return it.

"Master, there's somethin' else you should know."

"What is it, Raphael?"

Splinter never called them by their nicknames.

Raf showed him his bloody hands, then pointed to her skirt. Splinter saw the blood and his eyes narrowed.

"We knew you'd know more about this than we do, so we got you at once," said Leo.

"Hmm."

Master Splinter put one of his hands on the girl's forehead.

"She's running a slight fever." He turned to his sons. "I must examine her myself. I need you boys to step into my rooms for a few minutes. I will call you when I am finished."

"What's going on?" said Donny.

"Yeah? What's everyone so uppity about?" asked Mikey as he and Donny were shepherded out of the room by their brothers.

"What's Master Splinter doing in there?"

Mikey tried to catch one last glimpse of the scene in the other room. Raf pushed him and closed the sliding door.

"Leave 'em alone."

"I just wanna see what he's doin'," Mikey whined.

"What _is_ he doing in there?" Donny agreed. "Why did he make us leave the room?"

"'Cause he doesn't want us to see what he's doin'," said Raf.

"He probably doesn't think we're old enough," Leo suggested.

"Come on Leo," said Mikey. "What could there possibly be out there that we aren't out old enough to handle?"

He had a point. They had seen a lot, perhaps more than many kids their age had seen. But, as he and Raf traded glances, he knew there was much they hadn't. Especially with girls. Master Splinter had given them the "TALK" when they were fifteen, but words only went so far. Now they had a serious problem on their hands, one that was probably going to change their lives forever. Where did they go from here?

"Raf?"

Donny's voice broke his thoughts.

"What is that on your hands?"

Raf looked like he had been daydreaming. Now he jerked and looked down.

"Oh. It's blood."

"Blood? Where from?"

"The girl," he answered, getting up and sticking his hands in Splinter's washbowl. "She was hurt…you know…"

"Where?" asked Mikey, obviously not catching the message Raf was trying to communicate with his eyes.

He muttered something that sounded like "Under her skirt," and resumed washing his hands. Mikey and Donny looked at Leo, who did his best to duplicate the look that had been on Raf's face a moment before. Donny, he could see, was beginning to understand, but Mikey, as usual, was clueless. But at that moment, Master Splinter opened the door, and beckoned the boys out.

"This is very grave," he said, as he lead him back into the living room. "My worst fears are confirmed." He turned to them with a deep look in his brown eyes. "She has been violated in the most brutal way possible."

The boys looked at each other.

"You mean like…" Leo began, and Master Splinter nodded. He didn't need to say more.

"I want you boys to clean her up and dress her wounds. She has been beaten very badly, but I will need further analysis to decide if any bones are broken. Donatello?"

Donny nodded.

"Yes Master. I'll see to it."

"Please be kind to her. She has been ill-treated and she is very fragile, both physically and mentally. When she wakes up, assure her that she is safe and that you mean her no harm. Do not cause her any unnecessary pain or fear. Please boys," he begged, wringing his gnarled hands. "Be gentle with her."

"We will, Master," said Leo, speaking for all of them as they clasped their hands in front of them and bowed. Master Splinter left the room, his door clicking softly behind him. The boys turned to their task.

"Well, what do we do first?" Donny put his hands on his hips.

"Get her out of those wet things," said Leo. "I'm going to boil that water."

While Leo decided that the tea kettle was a more effective way to boil the water, the other three removed her wet clothes, shoes and stockings, Mikey having a little trouble figuring out how to undo the straps on her shoes. Donny's gentle hands moved over her body, looking for broken bones. He slowly made his way up her arm, stopping at her shoulder and frowning.

"Her right shoulder's dislocated," he called out, moving to the other arm. He looked at the two middle fingers of her left hand, and even Raf and Mikey could tell they were broken: they were so bent out of shape.

"That's not gonna feel good," said Raf. Donny continued his examination.

"Good God," he whispered, running his eyes over the numerous cuts, scratches and bruises that covered her body. "Who did this to you?"

He pressed her collarbone, then her ribs, gingerly, because of a particularly nasty bruise.

"Someone kicked you here," he muttered. "Hard, too. I can't believe none of your ribs are broken."

"Look how skinny she is," Mikey pointed out. "I bet you can count every single one of her ribs."

He proceeded to do so, but Donny slapped his hand away.

"Knock it off, Mikey."

His brother was right though. Every one of her ribs was clearly defined, and her hipbones stuck out so much Donny wondered if there were any organs left on her. Her thighs were so thin he was sure he could fit his hand all the way around them, and her cheekbones seemed way too large for her sunken cheeks. He noticed that one of her eyes had been blackened, and the wound on the side of her forehead was a bad one. He figured someone had hit her with a baseball bat or a crowbar, probably to knock her out.

Or to kill her? Donny shivered at the thought. The gunshots, the bruises, the blow to the head. This girl had sustained the worst injuries he had ever seen. She was also extremely malnourished, teetering on the edge of starvation. She had been brutalized beyond anything a human being should have been able to live through, and yet her heart was still beating and she was still breathing.

"You're one tough cookie, aren't you?" he said as he checked her pelvis, legs and toes for breaks. When he came up with nothing, he slipped his hand beneath her and felt along her spine.

"Hmm, the vertebrae need to be realigned, but nothing's out of order. Although… this is strange."

"What is it?" said Mikey.

"Help me turn her over. This scar," he said when they did. "I wonder where it came from."

"You think her attackers gave it to her?" asked Raf.

"Hmm-mm." Donny shook his head. "This is old. See how the tissue is stretched and faded a little? This has been here a while."

"What are you guys looking at?" asked Leo, coming over from the kitchen. He looked at the pink, crescent-shaped scar Donny was pointing at.

"Weird," he said, stroking it with his fingertip. "A childhood injury, perhaps? Or a surgery?"

"Maybe," said Donny. He got up and felt the girl's head, just to be sure nothing was broken. He made a face.

"Ugh. She's filthy. Looks like they dragged her through a bog before they beat her up."

He was right. The girl's hair was so matted with dirt and blood that they couldn't even tell what color it was. But Leo knew, because he had seen it before, a little over a year ago. Bright, flaming red, shining burnished gold in the stage lights. She had been fatter then, rosy lips pulled back to reveal straight white teeth and the voice of an angel pouring out of her throat with such power and intensity that he'd felt both his heart and his eardrums throb. She had looked so happy then, her face turning as red as her hair as she flew back and forth across the stage, and to see her now, as his brothers turned her back over, so pale, thin and bruised, made his blood boil. He felt his eyes burn, but whether they were tears of rage or sadness he did not know, and he whispered in a choked voice, "Where was your hero?"

"What?" said Donny, and Leo blinked, jerking out of his thoughts. "Did you say something, Leo?"

"No," said Leo, and the tea kettle began to whistle. The water was boiling, and it was just the distraction he needed to wipe his eyes while his brothers weren't looking. He had a feeling they would not understand his tears, and just laugh at him more. Besides, he _was_ too old to cry.

Between the four of them, they took a bowl of water and a washrag each and set out cleaning the dirt, grime and dried blood from the girl's body.

"So, what exactly was Master Splinter talking about?" said Mikey as he wiped down her tiny, fairy-like feet. "With the violation and stuff?"

"Rape, Mikey," said Raf. "Don't you know what that is?"

"Watch those fingers, Raf," said Donny as he gently cleaned her shoulder. "They're broken." Ignoring Raf's growled reply of, "Yeah, I know, I know," he turned to Mikey and said, "Master Splinter referred to it as sexual assault, and it's one of the worst things you can do to a woman. It's abuse, and men are not to use their strength to hurt." He turned back to his work, moving down her arm. "Yuk," he said, looking at her hand. "Some of her fingernails are broken."

Mikey was still musing over what he had just learned.

"Rape, hmm. Master Splinter said crimes like this existed, but I never thought we'd run across one."

"He gave us a whole lecture on this stuff, and how to treat girls," said Raf. "I remember that."

"Oh yeah!" said Mikey. "And he was using examples from the TV!"

They all smiled at the memory of the frail old rat ranting at the television while the boys sat on the couch and tried not to laugh. Then they were solemn, staring at the girl's pitiful little body, and they were reminded of the horrors that these crimes caused. They had seen situations like this on television of course, but it was nothing compared to the scene before their eyes now. It only reinforced their knowledge that the real world was nothing like what people saw on TV.

Donny had moved from her arm and was now cleaning off her face. Now that most of the blood was being wiped off, the wound in her head only looked half as bad as it had before. Now, it only looked like a nasty bruise. Donny finished cleaning the muck out of her ears, then took her chin in his head and gently turned her head from side to side.

"Pretty face," he muttered. "Pretty girl. Kind of a shame someone would do something like this to her."

The others nodded and suddenly, without really meaning to, Leo lost his temper. He flung his washrag into the bowl so violently he splattered murky water everywhere and startled his brothers. He jumped up and stormed off a few steps.

"How can someone do something like this?" he yelled. "How can anyone possibly have the guts to do this to a defenseless girl and feel no guilt?"

"I don't know, Leo," said Donny softly, threading the hooked needles that he would use to stitch up her gunshot wounds.

"Some people," said Mikey, looking uncomfortable as he wiped the blood from the girl's thighs. "I don't even want to imagine what she went through."

"Did you clean those bullet wounds, Raf?"

"Yep. First thing I did."

He moved to help Mikey mop up the rest of the blood, and Donny first sterilized the wounds with an alcohol swab, then began to close them. Mikey winced as he pushed the needle through her flesh.

"Ugh, Donny. You know that makes me queasy when you do that."

His brother didn't answer, too bent on his work. He closed one, then the other while the others finished cleaning her off. When they were finished, they turned her over and cleaned her back while Donny closed the wounds from the back.

"She's lucky the bullets went right through her. If one had gotten lodged in the bone, I would have had to operate, and that would have been mess." He tied off the tread and severed it with his teeth.

"She's lucky to be _alive_," said Raf, taking his bowl and pouring the contents down the drain. "She just better not freak out when she wakes up. We saved her life, and she'd better be grateful."

"Oh shut up, Raf," Donny scolded. "As Master Splinter said, she's been through a lot. She's probably traumatized. Now, help me get all of this gunk out of her hair. Leo, we're going to need more water."

**Hee, hee, hee. Awkward stuff for the boys. But oh, don't we love to torture them. I tried to stay as in-character as possible, right down to Raf's speech. Again, apologies if the ph vs. f thing drives people crazy, but I think it works better. Anyway, keep the reviews comin'!**


	3. Chapter 3: Tomato Basil Soup

**First off, a big thanks to all my reviewers. I don't know _how _you found my story, but I'm glad you did, and I'm really glad you're enjoying the story. I hope I don't let you down! Gothchick101 and frubaforever, you flatter me! Thanks for putting _The Orphan Train _on your list of favorites!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, or Master Splinter for that matter. But I do own my character, so no stealing.**

Finally, after wrestling with her hair for nearly an hour, the boys dried her off and dressed her in one of Splinter's old robes, one he'd had when he was human. Donny fashioned two splints made from empty pens and scotch tape for her fingers and he put a bandage on her head wound while his brothers took turns washing their hands in the kitchen sink. After that, they collapsed into chairs around the dining room table, exhausted. Mikey wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Whew! That was more work than I ever want to do again!"

"What, dealing with handfuls of munchkins day after day is easy?" Donny laughed at the horrified look that came into his brother's eyes. Then his voice became serious. "But we're still not finished."

The other three groaned.

"There's more?"

"What else do we need to _do_?"

"Relax," said Donny. "There's not much. I just need to reset her shoulder. Leo, could you give me a hand?"

"Sure," said Leo, tired but eager to help his little red-haired crush. "What do you need me to do?"

"Hold her. Just brace her so I can put the bone back into the socket."

Donny picked her up off the couch, gasping at her weight.

"Oh my God! She doesn't weigh anything!"

"Let me see."

When Donny finally passed the girl to him, Leo took her gently, kneeling down so he could wrap both arms around her.

_At last,_ he thought. _You've been in my dreams for a year, you're in my thoughts when I wake up, and now I can hold you._ He took the back of her head in his hand so he could look at her face. Pale and starved, she was still more beautiful up close than he remembered. He may have been imagining it, but the thought he could feel his body begin to warm.

He shook his head. What was he thinking? She was human and he…wasn't. Still, he could love her from afar, couldn't he?

"Leo?"

Donny's voice again brought him back to the present.

"Sorry. Got lost in my imagination."

"Ooh, what are _you_ thinking about, Leo?" Mikey hooted, punching him in the arm. Leo blushed visibly.

"Shut up!" he yelled, and brothers howled with glee at his obvious discomfort. When Donny finally caught his breath, he helped Leo set the girl upright against his chest, carefully laying her head in his shoulder. Leo's blush had begun to fade, but he felt it flare up again when her soft cheek came into contact with his. He couldn't help noticing the disgusting way her arm flapped uselessly as they jostled her around. When they had her sitting up in his lap, Donny gently took her arm in his hands.

"Ready?"

Leo wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from going anywhere.

"Ready."

"One…two…three!"

Donny pushed and there was a wet, sickening _pop_ as the bone slid back into place. The girl's eyes flew open and she gave a gasp of pain. The action startled Donny, who jumped back in surprise.

"Whoa!" he cried. For a moment, they were all silent, no one knowing what to do, then he held his hands up and said, "Don't be afraid, alright? You're safe. We aren't going to hurt you. Do you understand? We're going to help you."

He looked at his brothers for help, but they just shrugged. None of them knew what to say.

The girl turned her head left and right and back again, taking in her surroundings, and she put a hand to her head and moaned. Finally, in a soft, weak voice that sounded like a bell to Leo's ears she said, "Where am I?"

Donny and Leo looked at each other, but before Donny could open his mouth Leo blurted out, "In the sewers…of New York City."

She twisted her head up and around to see who had spoken, and Leo saw her eyes. He felt the breath catch in his chest. They were flat and dead with pain, but they were still like nothing he had ever seen before. They were like the shallows of the Caribbean, more green than blue, and so striking they gave her face a whole new light. When Leo had first seen her on stage, he had been too far away to tell what color her eyes were, and now that he could, it was like falling in love with her all over again. He also felt his heart break again, knowing that someone so beautiful would never return that love. She was human and she belonged in the human world above the sewers.

He blinked and realized that they were still staring at each other, and that his arms were still locked tightly around her. His heart skipped a beat, and he stood up, placing the girl on the couch so she could get a better look at the four of them. They stood in silence, watching her face work through several different expressions, trying to figure out exactly _what_ she was looking at. The boys had been expecting this, but they had also been expecting a bigger reaction, like screaming or fainting. She did neither. Instead, she sat there calmly, knees pressed together and her eyes looked up innocently at them. Finally, she spoke.

"So, who…_what_ are you guys?"

"I was waiting for that," Donny admitted. He was about to say more, but Raf interrupted him.

"_What_ are we? We're turtles."

"Yes, I can see that," said the girl, and waited for him to continue. He didn't, so Donny spoke instead.

"We're mutant turtles. That is, we were exposed to some sort of mutagen when we were kids, and we've been like this ever since." He paused at the confused look on her face. "I know, it's hard to understand."

"Even we don't get it," Mikey piped up, speaking for the first time since she had opened her eyes. Everyone looked at him, and his lips split into that stupid grin of his. Whether it was that grin or what he said no one would ever know, but he made the girl smile. Her lips parted ever so slightly, and they caught a flash of her teeth, as pearly white as the day Leo had first seen her. That smile was the first crack in the ice that surrounded them, and made Leo and Donny smile as well. Raf just scowled.

"Hey look guys!" said Mikey. "I made her smile! Ten points for me! Twenty points to the one who can make her laugh!"

He needn't have bothered throwing out the challenge. She had covered her mouth with her hand, but it didn't hide her giggles.

"Oh yeah! Thirty points for me!" yelled the ecstatic turtle. "Who's the man? Who's the man? ME!"

His ridiculous antics made the girl laugh even harder, and Leo had to smile at his brother's attempts to impress her. Even a corner of Raf's mouth turned up, and he joined the fun in the only way he knew how: picking on his brothers.

"You ain't a man, idiot. You ain't even human. You're just stupid."

"What?" He stopped in the middle of the dance he had been doing. "Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

Mikey launched himself at his brother, and the two went crashing to the ground and rolled around on the floor.

"Oh!" Through her laughter, there was concern on the girl's face. "Are they all right?"

"They're fine," said Leo. "They're just wrestling, that's all. See?" he said as Mikey yelled, "Ow! Okay, okay, I give up!"

Raf let go of the arm that he'd been twisting behind Mikey's back, climbed off his shell and helped him stand up. They dusted themselves off and sat down, trying to look like nothing had happened. The girl's laughter had begun to die down.

"Anyway," said Donny, "My name's Donny, and he's Leo, Mikey, and Raf."

They boys raised their hands when their name was called, and when he was finished, they looked at her.

"What's your name?"

"My real name's Abigail," said the girl, as if ashamed of the name. "But you can call me A.J."

"Why A.J.? Abigail's a beautiful name," said Donny.

"Suck up," Raf muttered under his breath, but only Leo heard it.

"I don't know," said A.J. "I don't like the name Abigail very much I guess. It means 'father's favorite,' and my dad and I don't get along very well. My sister was my dad's favorite."

"I think Leo's Master Splinter's favorite," said Raf, shooting a menace-filled glare at the turtle in question. Leo was taken aback by the sudden jab.

"I am not! Master Splinter doesn't play favorites; you know that as well as I do, Raf!"

"Sure he doesn't," Raf snarled, but he didn't say more. A.J. raised her eyebrows at how quickly the mood had changed.

"I take it you guys are brothers?"

"Yep. All four of us," said Donny.

"Unfortunately," said Mikey, and the girl smiled again.

"And what are your names short for?"

The boys traded glances.

"Well…" Donny began.

"We don't exactly have normal names, if you know what I mean…" said Leo.

"I don't care," said the girl. "You've saved my life. I'd like to go away at least knowing your names."

"Well, my name's Donatello, his is Leonardo, he's Michaelangelo, and he's Raphael."

A.J. grinned this time.

"The Renaissance masters. Although I don't know who Donatello was."

"That's okay," Donny shrugged, staring at the floor. "No one does. So, are you hungry?"

"Oh, yes!" she cried, her face lighting up.

"What are you hungry for?" said Mikey, bounding into the kitchen. "We have leftover pizza and…peanut butter if you want a sandwich. There's macaroni and cheese in here, too."

"No!" yelled Donny. "She's been starved and she's very weak. Any solid food will kill her. The only thing you're getting is soup," he said to A.J., opening the pantry and pulling out a can. "Tomato basil okay?"

"Anything is fine; I'm starving. I'm so hungry I could eat a dead rat!"

The boys looked at each other. Of course, she didn't know the irony of her statement.

"Well, no one's going to make you eat a dead rat," said Donny opening the can and pouring the orange liquid into a bowl. He put it into the microwave and set the timer as Leo said, "Or a live one. Master."

Splinter had entered the room. The boys clasped their hands together and bowed. A.J. twisted her head around, but she couldn't see who they were addressing. When she heard him speak however, she knew he demanded reverence.

"How is she?"

"She's awake," said Leo.

Splinter walked around the couch and stood in front of her. After all that she had seen tonight, she knew that nothing would surprise her, but all the same, to one who has never seen a rat the size of a small child walk on two legs and speak, it can be a rather strange sight. She felt awkward, sitting sideways on the couch with her legs thrown over the arm, but she bent her head as low as she could. She hoped this would be an acceptable gesture of respect.

Splinter took her hand.

"How are you feeling, my child?"

"I'm starving," she answered. "Donny's making me some soup."

"Excellent. Would you care for some tea?"

"Oh yes. Tea would be wonderful, thank you."

"Good. I could fancy a cup myself."

He put the kettle on after filling it up with water and digging a couple of teabags out of the cupboard. They were quiet for a time, waiting for her soup to warm up. When it was done, Donny pulled it out of the microwave, got her a spoon, and set the food on the table. A.J. climbed off the couch, stood up, and promptly fell down. Her legs were too weak to hold her up. Donny chuckled.

"I was going to tell you not to stand up, but I guess I didn't speak fast enough. You are too weak too walk anywhere. I recommend staying in bed for a few days until your strength returns. If you need to go anywhere, one of us will carry you."

"Oh. Well, I hate to be a burden," she said innocently as Donny bent and lifted her off the floor.

"No burden," he said, setting her down in a chair in front of the steaming bowl.

"Indeed," said Master Splinter from the kitchen, pouring tea into two mugs and walking over to the table. "It is in their nature to be kind to others. Thank you, Leonardo," he said as Leo pulled out a chair for him to sit in. He passed one of the mugs to A.J., who blew on it and thanked him.

"What is your name, child?"

"A.J.," she said, already wolfing down her soup.

"My name is Splinter. I see you're already met my sons."

The words made her put her spoon down.

"Sons? But…how…"

"They are my students," Splinter corrected himself. "I think of them as sons also."

"Okay." She raised her eyebrows, then went back to the food.

"Don't eat so fast," said Donny. "You'll jar your insides."

"I'm _hungry!_" she protested. "I can't remember the last time I ate."

"Just eat slowly," he said, and she went back to eating. They waited for her to finish, which didn't take very long. She looked up at Donny as he took the bowl away.

"Can I have some more?"

"No," he said sternly. "That's all your body can handle right now. Drink your tea."

She made a face, and Master Splinter jumped to his rescue.

"You should listen to Donatello. He knows what he's talking about."

So A.J. leaned back in her chair and sipped her tea, which was cool enough to drink. In the kitchen, Donny poured himself a cup and came back into the circle of light around the table.

"Sooo…"A.J. began nervously. "This may seem like a personal question, but how did you guys get like this?"

They looked at each other.

"Our story is a long one," said Master Splinter.

"And kind of hard to understand," Leo continued.

"How hard can it be? I'm looking right at you."

Again, they traded glances.

"I see no problem in telling the girl," said Master Splinter.

"Neither do I," Donny agreed. Mikey and Leo nodded their heads, but Raf's face was dark, and he leaned threateningly across the table.

"But if we tell you who we are, you gotta promise that you ain't gonna tell anyone else about us. Understand? Never!"

Her beautiful eyes widened in fear, and her voice quivered as much as her lips as she squeaked, "I'll never tell anyone, I promise!"

She was absolutely terrified of him, and her terror struck sparks in Leo. He hated to see her like this, being threatened by his own brother.

"Raf!" he said sharply. The red-masked turtle looked at him, then slumped back into his chair.

"It was nearly seventeen years ago," Splinter began, and A.J. resumed sipping her tea as he and the boys told her their story. It was wild, but at the same time, she was not surprised. She knew the government was screwed up, and the idea that they had dumped a toxic mutagen down the sewers where it would transform a man and his four pet turtles into something so alien you'd have to see it to believe it did not surprise her. But this time she was glad for the government's stupid mistake, because it had created Leo, Raf, Donny, Mikey and Master Splinter. They had saved her life, and as their story wore on, she learned about their ninja powers and how they used those powers to keep the streets of New York City safe at night. They had probably saved many people's lives over the few years they had been doing so. Then Leo had left for a year, training to become a leader in South America. He had only been back a few months. She sort of felt bad that she had come upon them at such an inconvenient and troubling time for them, but then she remembered that she'd be dead now if she hadn't. She clutched her wounded shoulder and shivered. However, none of her companions noticed.

"And that's pretty much it," Mikey finished.

"Yep. Here we are," Donny added.

"It's quite a story," said A.J. Raf glared at her.

"What, don't you believe us?"

It was the first time he had spoken since he had threatened her over the table.

She couldn't help noticing that the only things that seemed to come out of Raf's mouth were mean and unkind, as though he hated the entire world around him for reasons unknown. She was a bit insulted by his unpleasant manners.

"Why shouldn't I? The story is so ridiculous that it couldn't possibly be a lie. Plus, the proof is sitting right here in front of me!" She gestured to the five of them.

"Whatever," Raf grumbled. Master Splinter looked at the clock.

"It's late," he said. "And it's time you all were in bed. Especially you my dear," he said to A.J. "You've had a rough time, and you need rest. One of my sons will be happy to give up his bed for you."

"I will, Master," said Leo, quick to jump to her assistance.

"Oh no, you don't have to," she said, putting her arms around his neck as he picked her up. "I'd be just as comfortable on the couch."

"Nonsense," he said as he carried her into the room he shared with his brothers. "I won't hear of it." He clasped her soft body as close to his as he dared, trying not to be obvious. "This is my bed," he told her, pulling back the blankets and setting her down. He covered her up as she lay down and closed her eyes. "If you need anything, just tell us."

"Okay," she murmured. It was such a sweet sound.

"And if you get scared anytime during the night," said Mikey, removing his mask and straps that held his numchucks. "Don't hesitate to jump into bed with one of us!"

He grinned widely at her. Donny slapped him over the head.

"Mikey! That's rude!"

"I was only kidding!"

A.J. laughed and turned over. As Leo left the room, he said, "Go to sleep, you guys."

It was four-thirty in the morning. Leo flipped through the channels once again, trying to find something to shut his brain down and help him drift off to sleep. Unsuccessful, he finally gave up and shut the tube off.

A.J. had been on his mind the entire night, forcing sleep from his eyes. Everything about her, her soft hair, her lips, her dazzling eyes, her bony frame in his arms, her delicate voice. He was as much in love with her as he had been when he first saw her singing, and he had been fantasizing and imagining about meeting her for an entire year, even through his training. But now that they actually had met, he didn't know what to do. He certainly hadn't expected to them to meet under these circumstances, and now they had a serious case on their hands. Here was a girl, so sweet and innocent in her demeanor and manners, a girl he loved, who had been abused so horribly it was completely inhumane, her dignity and her virtue ruined, perhaps forever. He clenched his fists, and his knuckles cracked. He had never taken the crimes he fought personally: it was just a job, but now it was a different story. Now, though the crimes had been committed against her, it was a blow to him, because he loved her. It was revenge now. Whoever had done this to her had only a little time left. Leo would find him, and make him feel all the terror and pain he had made A.J. feel.

A muffled thump jerked him out of his thoughts. He stood up and turned around to find A.J. lying on the ground, a pillow in one hand and a blanket in the other. She raised her head and smiled through her pain. Leo figured she must have tried to walk out of the room and had fallen after a few steps.

"Sorry," she said as he picked her up.

"What are you doing out here? Can't sleep?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah. Mikey snores. And I'm still hungry."

"Well," he mused as he set her down on the couch. "I don't think Donny would like me feeding you, but you might sleep better if I do. I'll get you some more soup."

"That's fine," she said. "I don't care what you feed me, just as long as you do."

"Well, I don't want to kill you," said Leo as he opened another can of tomato basil soup. "That wouldn't seem very polite after I just saved your life."

She laughed, and the sound sent pleasant shivers down Leo's spine. Quietly he congratulated himself as he put the soup in the microwave and set the timer. At that moment, Raf entered the room.

Leo looked at him in surprise.

"I didn't hear you leave," he said.

"I walked right past you while you were watching TV," said Raf. "I was too quiet for you to hear."

His brother ignored the jibe and glared.

"Where have you been?"

"Nowhere," Raf snarled back and lurched off to the bedroom. Leo opened his mouth to yell at him, but he couldn't think of anything to say. The timer for the soup rang anyway, so he turned his attentions to getting the bowl out of the microwave. He was not exactly a cook, and he had put the soup in for too long. It was scalding and the bowl was very hot, but the thick, callused skin on the palms of his hands protected him from getting burned and feeling any pain. He set the bowl on the table, got her a spoon, then moved her from the couch to the table. She reached for the spoon and her hand touched the side of the bowl.

"Ouch!"

She jerked her hand back and Leo nearly jumped out of his shell.

"What is it? Oh…sorry. I guess I put it in too long."

He reached into the freezer, pulled out some ice cubes and crossed the room, dropping them one by one into her soup.

"There."

She stirred the soup with her spoon and blew on it. Then she sat back, waiting for it to cool.

"Is Raf always that nasty?"

"Yep. He's been that way ever since I came back. I mean, he's always been a little bit of a rebel, but now he's just downright evil."

She shook her head, staring at the entrance to their bedroom.

"Shame. He looks like he could be a really nice guy."

Leo felt a bit of a pang in his chest. He didn't want to talk about Raf with her. He hated himself for thinking it, but it was almost like he was jealous of his brother for even being mentioned in the conversation. He searched his mind for a way to change the subject, but she did it for him.

"Tell me about Central America. I've never been there."

He was a little taken aback by the subject that she'd switched to, but at least it wasn't Raf.

"Well, I didn't see much more than the forest," he began apologetically, but her green eyes had already begun to sparkle with wonder, so he continued. "The sun shines so bright there, way brighter than it does here, and when you get under the canopy, the trees turn everything different shades of emerald. The very air around you seems to be alive, and the sounds of birds and other animals are so thick and as varied as the plant life."

He willed himself to get lost in the memory of the rain forest around him. As he described it to her, it seemed to come to life before his own eyes, and it wasn't until he stopped speaking and blinked that the stone walls of the sewers closed in around him. He looked at her, and she too, seemed to be coming out of a daydream.

"Amazing," she said. "I'd like to go there someday. I've never been outside of New York City before."

"Really?"

"Mmm-hm," she nodded sleepily. "I've lived here all my life." She blinked and, opening her eyes wider, she looked around as though she had lost something.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked, looking up at him.

Leo told her.

"We set them out over here so they would dry off. We had to get you cleaned up so we could treat your wounds, and we figured you'd be more comfortable without them."

Her face flushed deeply, and a look of something like horror flashed in her eyes.

"You saw me…without my clothes on?"

He then remembered what had happened to her, and he flushed likewise. He was suddenly very uncomfortable.

"You had your underwear on…" he said, but she waved her hand.

"It doesn't matter. Four guys have already seen me…I suppose it doesn't make a difference anymore."

This time, her shiver was visible. Leo got up from his chair and put his hands on her shoulders.

"We would never take advantage of you, me or my brothers. We're not like that, okay? You don't have to be afraid anymore, not of us. You're safe here."

She raised her head, and he saw tears glittering in her green eyes.

"I know," she whispered. "You guys are just trying to help me. Thank you."

A tear fell out of the corner of her eye.

Without thinking, he reached up and used his thumb to brush it away.

They stared at each other for what seemed an eternity.

Finally, she spoke, and broke the spell.

"Thank you for saving my life."

Leo blinked as what she'd said sank in. He let go of her and sat back down in his chair.

"No problem. It's what we do."

At last, she picked up her spoon and began to eat her cooling soup.

"Well, I know it's nothing to you guys, but I really thought that my life was over. Thanks to you and your brothers, I have another chance, another shot at living. I was all ready to give up and die, and I almost did. I was so sure that it was the end of me. But now, it's not."

She took a few more bites.

"I'm really glad you saved me."

"Me too," Leo said softly under his breath.

"Hmm?" she asked around a mouthful of soup. He shook his head.

"Nothing. Eat your soup so I can put you to bed. Whoa!"

As he'd been talking, his eye happened to glance at the small digital clock in the microwave.

"It's almost six!" he cried.

"It is?" she asked, squinting at the neon green numbers. "Oh wow. No wonder I'm so tired." There were deep purple shadows under the eye that wasn't bruised to prove it. She finished her soup quickly, then said to him, "I'll just sleep on the couch. It's nice and quiet out here."

"You're sure you don't want my bed?"

She nodded.

"I'll be fine."

"Okay." He picked her up, crossed the short distance to the couch, and set her down. She fluffed up the pillow as he shook out the blanket and covered her up.

"You're too nice to me," she remarked.

"I think after what you've been through, you deserve it."

As she lay down, he could really feel exhaustion setting into his limbs. All he could think about was how soft his bed would feel against his tired body, but as he turned to walk off, she clutched his hand.

"Stay with me," she begged. "I'm scared of the dark."

"Do you want me to leave the light on?"

She didn't need to speak. He saw her answer written in her eyes.

"All right."

He joined her on the couch, which was big enough and she was small enough for the both of them to fit comfortably next to each other. He watched her curl up under the blanket, and after a few minutes, she was breathing deeply in sleep. He waited a little while, to make sure she was asleep, then, trying not to wake her, he scooped her up in his arms, blanket, pillow and all, and carried her into his bed. When he reached it, he tripped over his own foot, but she tumbled out of his arms and into his bed, completely undisturbed. She must have been sleeping very deeply, because she didn't wake even as he straightened the pillow and blankets around her. In the bed next to them, Mikey was snoring and muttering in his sleep. On the far side of the room, he noticed that Raf was lying on his back with his eyes open and his hands folded on his stomach, staring at the ceiling. Leo thought about saying something to him, but he was again at a loss for words, and when his brother did not acknowledge his presence, he turned and left the room.

**So, now we know who our mysterious friend is, or at least we're starting to. Trust me, if you feel sorry for her now, you ain't seen nothin yet. By the way, tomato basil soup is really good. I read somewhere that you can't feed solid food to people who have been severely malnourished, because it causes their intestines to blow up, or something like that. Tomato basil is the only soup I could think of that is purely liquid, so that's what she's going to be eating for the next few days. Anyway, you know what to do! Leave a review, and tell me what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4: AJ's Story

**A little peek into the life of the redhead. There's a moment where I think Splinter might be a little harsh, so let me know what you think of that, and I don't think that the trick that Donny performs in this chap is actually possible, but it was cool to think about. Also, I thought it would make more sense if they were nocturnal, because that's the impression I got from the 2007 movie, because they were always out a night. Once again, thanks to all my reviewers, and a special thanks to ladycordelia17. I am honored to find myself on your favorites list!**

**Just a head's-up, I'm rather new to the Ninja Turtles cult, so I don't really know a whole lot about them. I only saw #2 of the original movies that were made in the 90's, and only the first few episodes of the original TV series. (I think it's the original TV series.) And it was from there that I thought that Splinter was human, exiled from Japan for a crime he didn't commit, and forced to live in the sewers where he made friends with rats, and that was how he ended up a rat himself. I think, anyway. It's all still a little fuzzy because I have the worst memory of anyone I know, except my grandad.**

**Anyway, I dont own the TMNT, or Master Splinter, but I own A.J., and the plot!**

Leo slept deeply through the day, and awoke the next evening feeling very refreshed. He opened his eyes and stared at the roof above him, feeling better than he had in months. He was wondering why when Donny and Mikey entered the room at the same time. Donny saw that Leo was awake, and jerked his head back to their bedroom.

"She's still asleep," he said. It took a second for Leo to remember who he was talking about, then he remembered the events of the night before. He got up off the couch, shaking his head to clear it, then went to the fridge and poured himself a glass of orange juice. Then, Leo and his juice went into the bedroom to check on their little invalid.

She was just as Donny had said: lying on her side, sound asleep. One of her feet was sticking out of the covers, hanging over the side of the bed. Leo smiled and put his juice on his bedside table. He took her ankle in his hand so he could put her foot back under the covers, and for the first time, he noticed that her toenails were painted a color that he guessed was purple, but it changed to green or blue whenever he moved.

_How cute_, he thought, and pushed her foot under the blankets. He straightened up, and paused before brushing a lock of hair out of her face. Then he picked up his glass and padded out of the room without making a sound.

Back in the living room, he looked around.

"Where's Raf?"

"Probably off on one of his midnight adventures again," said Donny. Leo sighed.

"Doesn't care about anyone but himself, does he?"

He didn't wait for an answer, but turned around and stormed off to the dojo, first to box a couple of sandbags, then to meditate, trying to release all the anger, no: frustration, with his brother. All three of them were difficult to control, but Raf was the worst. Always the black sheep, that one. Always going against the grain; always had to make a statement. Never before had he been this bad though. Leo blamed himself, but he knew he probably shouldn't. He knew it was the separation that had really brought out this stubborn streak in Raf, and now it was so bad that even Master Splinter had trouble with him. Leo had promised him the night that he had returned that he would help set them straight, but oh God. Sometimes it was so hard.

He opened his eyes when he heard Mikey shout, "Hey! Sleeping Beauty!" from the other room. He stood up and left the dojo, a more important task on his mind. A.J. was awake.

She was standing in the entrance of their bedroom in the middle of a yawn when Leo walked in. Her red hair had dried and was tousled around her shoulders. Her strength was returning, Leo observed, because she had taken the few steps from his bed, which was the closest one to the door, to the door itself, and was now standing strongly on her feet in front of them, rubbing sleep from her eyes. It was a definite improvement, but he didn't want her to wear herself out or fall again, so he picked her up and brought her to the table.

"Thanks Leo," she said as he set her down. "Do you guys have a shower down here? I'd really like to get cleaned off."

She twisted her hands uncomfortably in her lap, and the boys knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Sure," said Leo. "We've got a bathtub, if you want to use that."

"A bath sounds _wonderful_," she said, putting heavy emphasis on the last word so they would know just how wonderful.

"Actually, that's a good idea," said Donny, getting up off the couch and switching off the TV. "One of us can go draw her a bath, and someone else can get her something to eat. I assume you're hungry?" he said to A.J., and she nodded.

"I'll do it!" yelled Mikey, jumping up and running to the back room that served as their makeshift bathroom.

"Don't make it too hot!" Leo called after him, then he turned back around as Donny opened the refrigerator door.

"You're not allergic to milk, are you?"

She shook her head.

"I'm not allergic to anything," she said as Donny poured the milk into a glass and set it down in front of her. "Thanks. Is this all I get?"

"No." Donny put the milk back into the fridge and reached into it again. He pulled out two containers of yogurt, the crossed the room to where his Bo was leaning against the couch.

"Watch this."

He found the balance point in the middle of his staff, then put the containers on each end. Balancing it on his finger, he used his other hand to flip the staff and the containers of yogurt into the air. He caught the staff in one hand, one container in the other, and caught the other on his staff, and it didn't fall. A.J. clapped her hands and yelled, "Bravo!" as Donny bowed and gave her the yogurt.

"Show off," muttered Leo, but it was loud enough for his brother to hear.

"You're just jealous because you don't have my awesome skills, Leo," said Donny, punching him playfully in the arm.

"At least I don't look like you," Leo retorted. Donny held his staff in front of him.

"I challenge!" he said.

Leo reached behind him, but he didn't have his swords strapped to his back. He would have taken Donny on with his bare hands, but A.J. waved to get his attention.

"Hey guys. I hate to interrupt this whole honor and glory thing but I kind of need a spoon."

Leo was closer to the drawer, so he opened it up and got her a spoon. He held it up.

"How good are you at catching?"

"Awful," she answered.

"I bet I can make you catch this. You ready?"

"Leo!"

"Relax, Donny. I just wanna see if I can do it."

She held up her hands.

"I really can't catch anything, but if you insist. Just don't hit my nose."

Donny opened his mouth again to protest, but Leo had already thrown the spoon. He had excellent aim, and as long as A.J. didn't move, it would be a straight path into her hands. Sure enough, it landed right in her hands, and she closed them around it.

"Wow! I caught it!" She marveled at the spoon as though she had never seen one before, then looked at Leo. "How did you do that?"

He shrugged.

"Magic."

She gave him a look that clearly stated she did not believe him.

"You ninjas and your magic tricks." She opened the first yogurt container, and dug the spoon into it. She closed her eyes as she put the spoon in her mouth.

"Oh man. Real food."

She finished the first container in ten seconds flat, and then opened the other one. This one took her a little longer to finish, but in less than a minute, the empty yogurt cans were sitting side by side in front of her, and she was licking the spoon.

"Thanks, guys. That was the best meal I think I've ever had."

She drank her milk, and just as she was swallowing the last of it, Mikey came into the room.

"Your bath is ready, madam," he said, sweeping his arms in an exaggerated bow.

"Oh thank you, my good man," she said in a tone of mock royalty. "Now carry me there."

"Yes ma'am," he said, getting off his knee and picking her up in his arms. Donny followed behind him, carrying a chair. They disappeared into the back, and Leo sat down at the table. Absent-mindedly, he picked an apple from the bowl on it and began munching on it, thinking about her.

For someone who had been through a traumatic experience, she seemed well in control of herself. He had seen cases on the news when people who had been through situations such as these where brought blubbering and sobbing and screaming by the police, and then there were those who did nothing but stare into space, not speaking, not focusing on anything, just staring. Their minds never fully recovered. But here was A.J., a young girl who was probably no older than they were, laughing, talking, and fully functioning, as though it had never happened. She was weak and really banged up, but there was nothing wrong with her mentally.

There were two possible explanations for this. Either she didn't remember what had happened to her, or she really was one tough cookie, as Donny had said. He finished his apple, then chewed the core up and swallowed it as his brothers returned.

Waste not, want not.

"What do you think happened to her?" he asked as they sat down.

"Oh, Leo," groaned Mikey. "Did you have to bring that up now?" The others ignored him.

"We know she's been abused physically: that much is obvious," Donny began. "The blood shows that she was raped, and she had bruises all over her body, which means that she was beaten, probably punched and kicked around. But, she was also starved, and she's very pale, indicating a lack of exposure to the sun. I bet whoever it was that did this to her had her for a pretty long time, a month at the least. They would have had to feed her something though, because she would have died by now. She's very thin, but her body hasn't completely cannibalized itself yet."

Leo's eyes widened in horror.

"They kept her alive just so they could beat on her some more?"

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions, but so far, that's how it looks," said Donny uneasily.

Leo swore, slamming his fist on the table. Donny and Mikey jumped. At that moment, Master Splinter entered the room.

"What is the matter here?" he asked in a stern voice, looking disapprovingly at Leo. The boys immediately rose and bowed, and Leo proceeded to explain himself.

"I'm sorry, Master. We were discussing what may have happened to A.J., and I got a little out of control. I shouldn't have acted like that. I apologize."

"It is indeed monstrous," replied the old rat. "But until you know for sure, you must not let your anger cloud your judgment. Where is she?"

"She's taking a bath," said Leo.

"That's good. How was she this morning, Donatello?"

"She's much improved, Master. She ate a little and took a few steps out of the bedroom."

"So her body is healing. How is her spirit? Her mind? That is what is most damaged. Always remember boys: physical wounds will heal, but the scars they leave behind never fade."

"Yes, Master," the boys said, and Donny continued.

"It's very strange Master, but it is almost like nothing has happened to her. She's still thin and pale, and has a little trouble moving her arms, but other than that, there is nothing much wrong with her. She laughs and talks like a normal person. It's almost like she doesn't remember anything."

Splinter's brow furrowed in thought.

"Hmm. It's not unheard of. Many trauma victims purposefully forget what has happened to them so they will no longer feel the pain connected with the memory. It is a natural self-defensive reflex."

"But…wait," Mikey spoke up. "She couldn't have forgotten. Remember the way she was twisting her hands when she asked if she could get cleaned off?" Leo and Donny nodded. "She looked really uncomfortable," he continued, then Leo remembered something else, too.

"And she told me last night that she was afraid of the dark. I offered to leave the light on, but she wanted me to stay with her. That ties in with what you were saying, Donny, about her being kept captive, out of the sun."

"Oh," said Donny, realization dawning on his face. "Wow."

"But we will never know anything for sure until we ask her," said Master Splinter firmly. "Donatello, I will need you to get that information out of her as soon as possible. Tonight, if you can."

"Tonight?" Donny gasped. "But, don't you think that's way too soon? Shouldn't she be allowed to recover first?"

"The sooner the better," said Master Splinter.

"But why? As if she hasn't been through enough already! To ask her to relive those memories now is all but cruel!"

"Please, Master," Leo jumped in. "We can't possibly ask that of her; not now!"

"Don't argue!" Splinter barked, and the boys fell silent immediately. "I understand your sympathy for the girl, but you have forgotten who you are. You are ninjas, and it is your job to protect the world from evil! There is an evil been done here, and you must seek it out! And do whatever it takes to do so!" He turned and prepared to leave, but he stopped at the doorway to his rooms, and said, in a softer voice, "But if it will make you feel better, you do not have to speak of it to her after tonight." He turned back around to face them, the anger gone from his eyes. "You must find whoever is responsible for this hideous crime. If you explain that to her, I'm sure she will be glad to help you. If you question her now, the details are still fresh in her mind, and the information she gives you may be more accurate."

He left, closing his door behind him. The boys looked at Donny, and he looked back at them.

"Master Splinter's right, Donny," said Leo. "And I'm sure it will be easier for all of us if we just get it over with now."

"I can't," he said. "I won't. Not tonight. It can wait until tomorrow."

Mikey shrugged.

"Your funeral, man. Oh, by the way Leo. I told A.J. that you'd be waiting outside the door until she gets done with her bath. She's got one of my numchucks so she can throw it at the door to let you know when she's ready to come out, just so she won't try to walk and fall and hurt herself. Sound fair?"

"That's pretty smart of you, Mikey," Leo complimented, but he held up his hand.

"It was Donny's idea. He still doesn't want her walking anywhere, even though she's perfectly capable of walking a few steps from one place to the next!"

He turned to Donny, grinning as he said this. In response Donny said, "Shut your face," and got up out of the room, taking a banana with him as he did so. Mikey looked at Leo.

"What's eating him?" he asked.

"The task that Master Splinter's assigned him, you dolt," Leo replied, getting up as well. "He knows it's going to be extremely difficult, and he's also afraid of what he will hear." He cracked his knuckles, then said, "Now, I'd better go see if our little friend is done with her bath yet."

He didn't have to wait outside very long before he heard the telltale _thwack!_ of wood and metal against the door. He opened it and found A.J. sitting on the chair Donny had taken with him when they'd gone back an hour earlier. She was back in the robe she had been in the night before, and she was running her fingers through her wet hair, drying it off.

"Hey Leo," she said as he picked her up. She smelled fresh and clean and her skin was scrubbed pink and shiny. He noticed that she had removed the home fashioned splints of pens and scotch tape, and her fingers, though clean, looked red and twisted, the joints swollen. She had also taken the bandage off her head, and the wound, though it still looked nasty, was improving. Her body was slightly warmer than usual as he held her close and took her into the main room. Donny was back, warming up something in the microwave. Mikey grinned at her as Leo set her down at the table.

"Feel better?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"You look better," said Donny. "Healthier, I mean."

Leo thought she looked better too, but not in the way Donny was talking about. But he didn't say anything, which was probably for the best. A.J. looked around.

"Where's Raf?"

"Out," said Leo curtly.

"Where?" she persisted. The brothers shrugged.

"Wherever he goes when he goes out, I guess," said Donny. A.J. frowned.

"I thought you guys said you fought as a team."

"We used to," said Leo. He looked at his brothers. "We don't really anymore."

"Why not?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Donny pointed out. She lowered her eyes.

"I'm sorry. It's a really bad habit of mine. I think I do it without even realizing it. I'm just curious, that's all."

Donny saw that he had hurt her feelings, so he said quickly, "Well, there's nothing wrong with being curious, but there are some things that should never be questioned."

She smiled weakly.

"I know. It will be the death of me someday, I know it. I only asked because you guys seemed really close, and that's not something you see every day."

"It's not," Leo agreed. "You're right: we used to be very close. I mean, all we have down here is each other, and Master Splinter. You don't have very many friends growing up as a giant mutant turtle."

"Raf always was the distant one though," Mikey put in.

"Yeah, and when Leo left a year ago, it was the first time we'd ever really been apart from each other," said Donny. "The separation was hardest on Raf, I think, just because he's so stubborn. But he doesn't want us to know he's hurt, so he acts really tough and mean, like he does. It's like he's built up this wall, so high and so thick that none of us can reach him. We don't know what to do. Even Master Splinter has been shut out."

"It's so important to hold on to what you have, because in an instant, it all can be taken away from you," she said softly.

"What makes you say that?" asked Mikey.

"Yeah," said Leo. "You've heard our story. Now let's hear yours."

The microwave timer went off. Donny opened it, and pulled out a bowl that turned out to be full of oatmeal. A.J. waited until he sat down at the table, then began her story.

"I told Leo last night that I've never been out of New York City. I used to live on the other side of the city though. Spring Falls. Do you know it?"

The boys frowned for a minute, remembering, then Leo nodded.

"Mm-hmm, we know it. We've done a couple of busts out that way."

His brothers agreed, and A.J. continued.

"I used to live out there up until about a year ago. My parents finally got so sick of the place they moved us downtown. They just couldn't handle the memories it held."

"What memories?" Mikey interjected.

"I had two brothers and a sister. My sister is the oldest, then me, then my brothers. My youngest brother…" She paused, dropping her eyes to the table, where her hand lay, so small and white in the glow of the lamp. She took a deep breath.

"My youngest brother and I were close, best friends as well as brother and sister. He was two years my junior, but we could easily have passed for twins: we were so alike, both in appearance and personality. It was almost scary.

"One day, when I was fifteen, my girlfriend at the time and I were running errands. We had been sent by my mother to get some things from the drugstore on the corner a few blocks from my house. Of course, my brother was tagging along, partly because we didn't care, partly to get out of the house. He and my mother never did get along very well."

"Wait a minute."

It was Leo who interrupted. He wasn't sure what he had just heard, but he hoped it wasn't true.

"You said 'girlfriend.' Is that 'girlfriend' as in, a friend who is a girl, or…"

"No, I mean a_ girlfriend_ girlfriend." She looked around at their surprised faces. "Don't freak out or anything. I'm not a lesbian. I like both girls and guys, or at least I used to. I'm not really sure if I still do: it's all a little weird, really. Anyway, the three of us had bought the groceries, and when we reached the crosswalk, we decided to have a race to see who could cross the street first. I was the faster runner, and I made it out of the way. They didn't."

She paused again as if waiting for them to ask what she had gotten out of the way from. They didn't, knowing that she would tell them.

"How someone can be drunk at three in the afternoon I have no idea. But someone was drinking and ran straight through the intersection. Didn't even pay attention to the stop sign. Like I said, I was faster, and it saved my life. That car hit my girlfriend and my brother at sixty miles an hour and killed them both. They died in my arms. I survived, but the fender cut across my back and left a scar. You guys probably saw it last night when you were cleaning me off."

The boys nodded, the mystery of the scar on her back finally solved.

"We had the funeral for them both, and they were buried in the cemetery out there."

"That cemetery is supposedly haunted," Donny put in, and she replied, "There are a lot of places that are supposed to be haunted."

"What happened to the driver?"

"He crashed into another car a little way down the street, and killed three more people: a mother and her two kids. He was charged with five cases of manslaughter and driving under the influence and sentenced to life in prison without parole. He's never getting out as long as he lives.

"When my parents found out that the girl had actually been my girlfriend instead of the friend that I had told them, they were furious. To this day, I still don't understand why. I had only told them the truth. Where's the harm in that?"

The boys looked at each other, knowing just how dangerous the truth can be.

"Well, after that day, my relationship with my family was never the same. My dad, who had never really been very nice to me, started being downright mean to me, and my mother did her best to ignore me. As for my sister and other brother, they had their own lives. I just kind of disappeared. We moved a year later, all of us just so sick of seeing the intersection where the youngest member of our family had died."

"That's so cruel," said Donny as her story came to a close.

"What is?" she asked, looking up suddenly.

"The way your parents treated you after your brother and girlfriend were killed. It seems like they think it was your fault."

"Who is saying it isn't?"

"Oh, come on now, that's ridiculous. It wasn't your fault. The man was drunk, and there was nothing you could do about it. Accidents happen: you know that as well as I do. It's not your fault that your brother and girlfriend couldn't run as fast as you could. If you ran any slower, you would have been killed right along with them."

She nodded.

"I know I shouldn't beat myself up over this, but I still do. Maybe I feel guilty about surviving when they didn't. I don't know. Nothing really makes sense in my life, and now this."

She shook her head, and Leo reached over to put his hand on her shoulder, but quickly took it off when she winced, realizing that neither one of her shoulders was in very good shape. He looked up at Donny, and saw a flash of panic in his face. Leo looked from him, to A.J.'s pale face sparkling with tears, then back to Donny. He shook his head and mouthed the words, _Not tonight._ Neither one of them were fit for any retelling of the horrific events that had happened to her.

Donny's shoulders sank in relief, and he smiled gratefully to his brother. Then, he looked struck by a sudden realization.

"I need to see how your wounds are coming, A.J. So, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a look at you. Okay?"

She flinched quickly and subtly, but then she straightened her back and folded her hands in her lap, elbows stiff. They boys looked at each other, and Donny said, "I'm not going to hurt you."

He unfolded her hands, examined her broken fingernails, then touched her shoulder, the one that had been dislocated. They saw her face twitch with the pain, but it was not an obvious gesture.

"That's good," he said.

"What?" she asked.

"The swelling's gone down. Does it hurt when you move it?"

She rotated her arm in the socket, then shrugged.

"Not really," she said.

"Good."

He looked at the wound on her head, then got his medicine kit, which he had left out from the night before. He put a fresh bandage on it, taping the gauze to her forehead. She touched it with her fingertips, then grinned sheepishly.

"I feel like an idiot."

"Yeah, well," said Donny, pulling down the shoulder of her robe to look at the stitches he had put in. "Look at it this way. You can either look like an idiot, or you can walk around telling everybody that you got into a fight with a deranged baseball bat."

It made her laugh as he sponged the little bit of pus and blood that had leaked out of the stitches.

"Much better," he said. He moved on to her broken fingers.

"Where did you put the splints I made you?" he asked.

She looked at him quizzically.

"The pens? I left them in the bathroom."

"I'll get them, Donny," said Leo, getting up.

"Thanks Leo."

Donny got up and went to the kitchen to get the scotch tape. When Leo returned with the empty pens, he used the tape to fasten them to her broken fingers.

"You need to keep these on," he told her, pressing the last of the tape back into place. "They're here to help put your fingers back straight again."

"Okay."

He put the tape down on the table.

"Now, this may hurt, but I'm gonna have to fix your back."

"Uh-oh," she said with a smile. "You're not gonna make me lie down and stand on me, are you?"

Now it was Donny's turn to smile, and Mikey actually burst out laughing. Leo groaned.

"Ooh," he said. It didn't sound very comfortable to him.

"Of course not," said Donny. "I might kill you. I've got a better way to do those kinds of things for small girls like you. Stand up, please."

Shakily, she got to her feet. Donny helped her stand, then crossed her arms over her chest. Wrapping his own arms around her, he instructed, "Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in." As she pulled the air into her lungs, he picked her up and bent her backwards.

The noise that came from her back sounded like a series of shots fired from a semi-automatic gun. It made both Leo and Mikey jump and Donny dropped her in a heap on the floor, shocked.

"Oh!" Mikey yelled. "That sounded like it hurt!"

"Oh my God!" Donny cried. Leo got to the floor.

"Are you all right?" he asked A.J.

"My back hurts," she said weakly. She rolled over on her back, her face twisted in pain. Donny, still recovering, knelt down and made her sit up. He ran his hand down her back, ignoring the way she shuddered, and smiled.

"Well, it may have been painful…"

"It _sounded_ painful!" Mikey interrupted. "Hurt my ears just _listening!_"

Donny glared at him.

"Thank you, Mikey. Anyway, as I was saying, that may have hurt, but at least your back's straight again. It should be easier to move now."

She twisted her torso left, then right, and her face lit up.

"Hey, you're right. It doesn't hurt to move anymore! Thanks, Donny."

She smiled warmly at him, and he smiled shyly back. Leo took notice of the smile, and his heart skipped. Again, jealousy bit deep into his heart, and he looked away, unable to watch his brother as he picked A.J. up and set her on the couch. For a moment, he was overcome with his feelings, then he stood up, shaking his head. He had to get his head together. He could not let his feelings get in the way.

_Get in the way of what?_ asked a voice in the back of his head. He knew they would get in the way of something, but what that something was he had no idea. Was it his duties as a leader, maybe? Or was it fact that they lived in two totally separate worlds, she above ground and he below it?

Or was he afraid that she would never return his love?

He shook his head. These ramblings were stupid, immature and futile, and he would do well to remove them from his mind.

**As you will notice later on, I'm sure, I have never been to new York city, nor do I live there, so I'm taking complete artistic lisence with streets and locations. So if it doesn't sound right to you, I'm sorry. Just bear with me. Also, that back-cracking trick is an actual trick; I had a friend who used to do that to me. It really does hurt, but as long as you don't make a big deal about it it's fine. I'm not really sure why her back would need to be cracked in the first place, but I thought it was a nice effect, with Donny playing the doctor of the family. And it was a chance to throw in a bit of useless information, which I seem to be a mine for. Anyway, leave a review, pleeezz!**


	5. Chapter 5: Held in Captivity

**And now folks, the chapter you've all been waiting for! But be warned: graphic descriptions of torture and brutality are inside! Viewer discretion is advised! NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART!**

**Need I say it again? I don't own the TMNT or their sensei. But A.J and the plot are mine.**

The next night was a tense one. Donny was so nervous and shaky that Leo, Mikey, and even Raf decided to help him out with his interrogation of their new redheaded friend. So when A.J. woke up and came into the living room that evening, she found all four turtle brothers and Master Splinter sitting around the table, their faces grave.

"What's going on?" she asked.

The boys looked at each other, trying to find the words to say, but Master Splinter spoke for them.

"I know this will not be easy for you, my child, but we need you to tell us exactly what happened to you. It is of the utmost importance that you tell us everything, because that will make it easier to track down those responsible for the crimes against you. Will you do that for us please?"

She looked at them as though they'd asked her to walk down a path of hot coals without shoes.

"Now?"

"Yes, please."

There was a pause, and then she said, "Can I eat first?"

They boys looked at each other again, and Mikey burst out laughing. The others joined in, and Master Splinter smiled.

"Well, that wasn't the reaction we were expecting," said Donny, grinning widely.

"What were you expecting?" she asked as Leo came over to pick her up and carry her to the table. "Screaming and fainting?"

"Maybe not that extreme." He opened the fridge and pulled out the milk and yogurt. He poured her a glass and got her a spoon, then set her breakfast down in front of her. She dug in happily.

"Glad to see your appetite is returning," he said as he put the milk back into the fridge.

"I've been starving," she said. "My appetite has always been here." She stopped to let them laugh, then said, "How long will it be until I can eat food besides soup and yogurt?"

Donny thought for a minute, then answered, "About a week. Let's see how you're doing then. If there's an improvement, we'll move on."

She rolled her eyes, and finished up her milk. When she was done, she looked around at the faces at the table. She raised her eyebrows.

"Ready?"

They nodded. Master Splinter took both of her hands in his.

"We need to know the entire story, start to finish. Think back to the very beginning. Can you remember what day that was?"

She twisted her mouth around, looked up at the ceiling, and put her tongue between her teeth.

"June…5th, I think. Yeah, because it was right after exams."

They looked at each other, and Leo looked at the calendar that was pinned to the wall by Master Splinter's door.

"August 28th," he said. "Almost three months ago."

A.J. turned pale.

"I've been gone that long?"

The boys nodded.

"Oh my God."  
Suddenly, her eyes went out of focus, she took a deep breath and her bottom lip quivered. They were afraid she was going to cry, but there were no tears in her eyes. She only stared at some point behind Master Splinter's head. His voice was very gentle as he spoke.

"What happened, my child?"

Her voice was soft, and very weak as she answered his question.

"I was coming home from school. It was the last day, and I was pretty excited to get home and do absolutely nothing. It was about noon, and I'd just gotten off the bus at my stop, and I was heading home. The stop's pretty far from where I live, and I have quite a ways to walk. I was about halfway there when I realized that I was being followed. I looked behind me, and saw that, sure enough, there was a man about twenty feet behind me, watching me.

"Quickly, I weighed my options. I figured that, because he was so far behind me, I could probably outrun him, maybe give him the slip, and sneak back to my house, where I could call the police. I didn't want to go straight home, because then he would find out where I lived, and we couldn't have that. So I decided that my first option was the best one, and I went with that. I took off running, and turned down a different street than I usually go down, and it ended up a dead end. However, there was another street that crossed it, and I turned that way. I looked behind me to see if I had lost him. I didn't see him, and was just thinking that I was home free when someone grabbed me around the waist, pulling me clean off my feet. A wet rag was pressed over my mouth and nose, and I blacked out almost immediately."

"Chloroform," said Donny, and they all looked from her to him.

"What?" Mikey asked.

"The rag was soaked in chloroform," Donny repeated. "Its fumes cause unconsciousness. An effective tool for kidnapping. They probably used it to prevent you from struggling when they took you. Cowardly dogs."

She managed a weak smile at the name, then continued.

"I don't know how long I was out. When I woke up I was in a dark room, and I could feel a cold cement floor under me. There was absolutely no light; I couldn't see my hands in front of my face. I wanted to know where I was, but I was too scared to move. So I sat up and curled up in a ball, tucking my knees under my chin, wrapping my arms around me.

"Again, I don't know how long I sat there. It must have been hours, because soon I began to get hungry, and I had to go to the bathroom. It occurred to me that maybe I should call for help, but my rational mind told me that either no one would hear me or no one would care. So I kept quiet, and waited for whatever fate had in store for me.

"Sometime later, a slot in the door opened, and a tin plate was tossed into the room. In that brief window of light, I managed to get a glimpse of where I was. I saw there was nothing in the room except a toilet in the corner. As I could see, I had no means of washing my hands, so I ate first, then relieved myself. I don't know what it was I was eating. The taste was disgusting and the texture was even worse, but I was too hungry to care. When I was finished I went to the toilet, and found that it even flushed, which for me was quite a relief. I would have hated to be living in my own refuse. I wondered why my captors even bothered with a flushing toilet and food, no matter how repulsive. I couldn't imagine their purpose for keeping me alive and somewhat healthy, but, as the hours passed, I began to wonder if maybe I didn't want to know.

"I lost all track of time in that cell. My captors had taken away my bag, and my skirt doesn't have pockets, so I didn't have my cell phone, or a watch, or any way to tell what time it was, what day, or even what month. I could have been in there for hours, days, or weeks. Maybe I was in there a month before they came for me.

"There were four of them. Four men in between mid-forties and mid-fifties, who wouldn't have looked threatening if you saw them on the street in broad daylight. They looked like your average, middle-class American dads; you'd never know they were sick to the head. That is, until you're lying in a small, dirty, bare cell and they're standing over you with their hands in fists.

"That first beating hurt so much I probably cried for hours. I remember lying on my side where they left me, sobbing until my throat hurt, and the sounds that came out of it no longer sounded human. I remember tears running down my face, and blood running out of my mouth. For once, I was glad it was dark. I didn't want to see what they had done to me."

"Did they rape you when they beat you?" asked Master Splinter suddenly. Jerked out of A.J.'s horror story, Leo realized that the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped about ten degrees, and that the gentle old rat's voice had brought the warmth back to the air. Powerful thing: the imagination.

A.J. shook her head.

"Not that first time. I think that first time was to teach me a lesson; to show me who was boss. The rape came later, when I was weaker."

The room temperature dropped, or at least it seemed to. Leo shivered.

"The next time they came for me, they took my virginity with them. They hadn't been feeding me much, and I was half-starved by that time. They came into my cell again, and one of them had a lamp or a flashlight or something, so they could see what they were doing. The last time they came in, they left the door open. This time, they shut it.

"There was one: I'll never forget him. He seemed to be the one in charge, because he told the other three what to do. I had gotten to my feet, knowing that, though I couldn't fight them, I would make them knock me down. I wouldn't just lie there and take it. I would face Hell on my feet.

"The leader guy punched me so hard he knocked me sideways into the wall, were I hit my head pretty hard. Dazed with pain, I didn't remember falling down, or anything else that happened. The next thing I knew, I was lying on my back, my skirt was pushed up around my stomach and…"

"We get it," said Mikey quickly, much to everyone's relief. The boys didn't want to hear the details, and A.J. didn't want to describe them. But the tears sparkling her eyes told them that the memory was still very clear in her mind.

"It hurt so much. You can't imagine the pain. It felt like…a huge metal bar was being wrapped around my head, crushing my temples, tighter and tighter."

She put her hands around her head to show them. The boys looked at each other, eyeridges raised. As none of them were girls, they couldn't imagine what it must have been like for her. Leo felt sweat beginning to run down his face, partly from embarrassment, mostly from anger. She was so small, so helpless, and so beautiful. To listen to what these men had done to her; how easily they had taken advantage of her, was breaking his heart. He clenched his hands together, and bared his teeth.

_How dare you,_ he thought furiously. _I will find you, and when I do, you will curse the day you arrived into this world. _

He slowly released his breath, trying to suppress his anger, his mind wandering back to Master Splinter's early teachings. He had taught them that they must control their anger, or it would control them. And Leo had seen firsthand what happens to someone who is controlled by their anger: he saw it in his brother. He looked over at the red-masked Raf, and saw that there was no emotion in his face. He was as cool as always, leaning back against the chair, arms crossed over his chest, the ankle of one leg sitting on the knee of the other. Leo could hardly grasp the fact that Raf could be feeling nothing for what he was hearing. But he didn't have much time to reflect on it, because A.J. began speaking again.

"After a little while, the pain went away, and I couldn't feel anything at all. Not the temperature of the room, not him, not the floor beneath me. It was if all the nerves in my body had shut down. I remember looking up, and I think I saw myself staring back at me, kind of like I was looking in a mirror, but not quite. I'm not really sure why. Maybe I was looking at my innocence, or a manifestation of it, because I thought I looked several years younger than I was, like maybe nine or ten. Kind of creepy. Anyway, the vision vanished, and I felt everything again. The pain, the cold, everything. And then I came to my senses.

"He had finished with me, and motioned to someone else. I realized what was happening, and rolled over to try and crawl away. It wasn't very easy going: I was really weak from lack of food, and my underwear was somewhere around my knees, tripping me up even more. I didn't get very far. The man he had motioned to grabbed me by the hips, and the leader walked over and stepped on my hand."

There was a hiss as everyone sharply drew breath through their teeth.

"So that was how your fingers broke," said Donny. She nodded.

"I heard the bones snap, and I screamed for the first time. The original beating hadn't made me scream, neither had the rape. But that…that did it. I didn't scream from the pain alone. I think it was because I realized what was happening to me: my virginity was gone, I was trapped with no hope of escape, nothing more that a toy for these cruel men, and I was too weak to defend myself. I think it was the feeling of utter hopelessness that made me scream more than the pain of my broken fingers.

"After that, I just gave up. I remember my cheek pressing into the cold concrete, and that was it. I shut them out, and I don't remember when one was done and the other started. I just pretended it wasn't happening. I guess you could say I went to a 'happy place,' and I didn't leave it until the door closed. Darkness enveloped me, and I became conscious of my surroundings.

"Even when they were gone, I didn't move. I just lay there, my eyes wide open, staring at the blackness in front of me. I felt weightless and empty. It felt like they had taken my soul with them, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell. I wondered if I would ever come out of this spell that seemed to have taken hold of me: I couldn't move, I had no desire to eat. I don't even remember blinking, though I'm sure I did, because my eyeballs would have dried out.

"I lay there for a long time, until the slot in my door opened and that nasty food was pushed through. My stomach growled, and I realized that I had to eat, or I would die there. Right there on the floor. It wasn't until after I'd eaten that I realized that maybe dying wouldn't be such a bad idea. It was also then that I realized that I wasn't alone."

Everyone, even Raf, leaned forward.

"Every now and then, I would hear screams coming from other parts of the building. Women's screams. I realized that they were not only doing this to me, but to other women as well. Somewhere, where I couldn't see them, other women were being raped and beaten just like I had been.

"This terrified me more than everything else I had been through, and would go through. Sitting in the dark listening to those screams…" she hugged herself, and shuddered. For a while, she couldn't speak. The tears were falling now, leaving wet trails behind them, and her nose and cheeks turned red and blotchy. The boys looked at each other, no one knowing what to do, then Leo reached over and began to rub her back in a feeble gesture of comfort. She shivered again, and broke down completely. She began to sob, and buried her face in her hands. She leaned over towards Leo, a desperate plea for help, and he accepted. He scooted his chair closer until they were sitting right next to each other. He pulled her gently into his arms, and she didn't resist. She fell against his chest, still covering her face in her hands until he wrapped the other arm around her, and then she clutched that, burying her face instead into the crook of his elbow. Her tears flowed hot and wet against his arm, and the scent of her hair was in his nostrils as she pressed her body as hard as she could into his plastron, as though she could somehow disappear through it. He continued rubbing her back with one hand, and patted her head with the other. He stroked her hair; it was tangled because she hadn't had a chance to brush it that morning, but still it was soft, and unlike anything he had ever felt before. Having lived under the streets all his life, he had been cut off from most human contact, so it was only understandable that he would have no idea what a human's hair felt like. There had been a few instances when he had grabbed people by their heads so he could knock them into a wall or the ground, but that was nothing like this. He may as well have been touching silk, so soft and smooth was her hair. It was longer than it had been a year ago, and it wasn't as thick or shiny due to her lack of nutrition, but all the same, he couldn't take his hands off it.

Which, given the circumstances, worked in everyone's favor.

He looked around at his brothers, hoping for some assistance. They weren't looking at him though, too occupied with A.J.'s crying fit. Donny's eyes were gentle as always, full of compassion, and Mikey looked on the verge of tears himself, biting his finger around the knuckle. Master Splinter had his hands folded in front of his nose, his face grave above them, staring hard into the table. Raf had an unreadable look on his face. Behind the red mask, his brown eyes were fixed on the sobbing girl in Leo's arms, but exactly what the expression was he could not tell. He had one arm sitting on the table, and he was hunched over it, his eyes narrowed. His brow was furrowed as though in thought, but there was something in his eyes that suggested otherwise. Leo held A.J. tighter. For some reason, he didn't like to look on his brother's face.

After a few minutes, her sobs began to lessen, the tears stopped, and she was left breathing hard for air. Donny got up and poured a glass of water from the sink, which she drank down without hesitation or complaint. She pulled out of Leo's embrace so she could sit up straight, and he heard a couple of bones pop along her spine. She didn't go far, though.

"Sorry guys," she said, wiping her face on the backs of her hands and her sleeves.

"It's fine," they all said as one.

"I just… I just can't stand the fact that there are other women out there who are going through the same thing I was, and no one knows it. No one can hear them screaming, and no one will. And the worst part is, there is nothing I can do about it. I'm totally helpless; I can't help them. I can't save them."

"You can, my child," said Master Splinter gently. "By telling us everything that happened to you, you provide us with information that will help us catch those responsible. And, when your strength returns, you must inform the police immediately, telling them exactly what you've told us. If what you say is true, I fear this may be a bigger operation than just a crime against you."

"Unfortunately, there isn't very much I can tell you," she said sadly. "Like I said, I was unconscious when I was abducted, so I never saw where they took me, and I spent the rest of the time in a cell with no windows or any way to see outside. I don't know very much at all, so I'm really no help."

Without thinking, Leo placed a huge hand over her tiny one. His three fingers curled around it, gently.

"You're more help than you think you are. Your captors think you're dead, so it's very probable that they were careless. I'll bet that, since they figured you were going to die anyway, that they didn't bother disguising themselves when they…you know…hurt you."

Master Splinter beamed at him.

"Good thinking, Leonardo. Can you remember what they looked like?" he asked A.J.

"I'll never forget it," she hissed, gripping Leo's hand.

"Wonderful. You can do that later. But now, tell us what happened next."

"Like I said before, I had no way of knowing what time it was, or how long it was before they came back. I fought back as well as I could, but they beat the snot out of me again. They beat me hard too. I was amazed nothing was broken. My hand was hurting me big time, and there were many times when the pain alone was enough to make me cry. I cried a lot those first couple of times. But after they raped me the third time, there were no more tears left.

"The third time was the worst. It was also the last time I had the strength to fight back. I somehow managed to wiggle free from them, and I made a wild leap for the door. But I was not fast enough. One of them caught me by the arm, and pulled me back so hard that he dislocated it. Then they fell on me. They…they…"

She faltered, and looked like she was going to cry again. Leo rubbed her hand with his thumb. She looked up at him, and he met her eyes, encouraging her. Master Splinter reached across the table for her other hand, the one with the broken fingers. He patted it.

"You don't have to say it," he told her gently.

She sucked in her breath, and looked up.

"No. You have to know what they did to me."

"But…what if we don't…want to know?" asked Mikey uncertainly.

"Then leave," Raf snarled. The brother he had addressed looked around to see if anyone else was with him, but found none, so he stayed. They all leaned forward despite themselves, dreading what they would hear next. It took her a few minutes before she could speak.

"They made me take off my clothes. The leader…he had a gun, and he pulled it out and told me that if I didn't take my clothes off he would shoot me though the kneecaps so I would never walk again. I was so frightened, so I did what I was told." She hugged herself with her free arm, covering her chest as though the robe she was wearing was not there. "When I did that, they made fun of me. They told me my breasts were too small, my ass was too bony, I was too pale, my ribs stuck out, and that fucking me was like Rocky Road. You know, the ice cream."

If it hadn't been for the circumstances, the joke might have been funny. Still, it hurt Leo's ears to hear her curse. Her voice seemed too soft and sweet for such language.

"Well, maybe if they'd fed you more it wouldn't have been such a bumpy ride," said Raf.

Leo's eyes flashed.

"That is not funny, Raf," he said, but A.J. squeezed his hand.

"But it's true. If they had fed me…it doesn't matter. I think they liked making fun of their victims. They enjoyed it. It made them hard."

There was an uncomfortable silence at those words. Then, Master Splinter said very quietly, "Despicable."

"Sounds like that was the only way they could get any um…action," said Donny with a slight smile. "Raping defenseless little girls…pathetic."

The others smiled nervously, but she didn't. Her eyes were deepset with fear as she spoke the next words.

"They all came at me at once. All four of them. The leader put the gun to my head and told me he'd shoot me if I bit him. He forced himself into my mouth, while the others went between my legs, behind me, and even between my breasts using some kind of ointment. Vaseline or something."

All of the boys' eyes had gotten wide as dinner plates. None of them had believed it was possible for four men to have one girl at once, but now they had just been proved wrong.

"Ouch," said Donny after a minute of stunned silence.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," said Mikey, his hand to his stomach. Raf's eyes had narrowed so much they were nothing more than slits behind his bandanna. At last, there was some emotion in his face.

Leo on the other hand, was quivering with fury. A.J. must have felt it through his hand, because she looked up at him. He couldn't meet her eyes. He bent his head to his knees, his eyes squeezed shut, tears forming behind the lids. Good God. How had she survived? How could she have endured all of that, and not come out messed up? How could she still smile, laugh, and look shyly at them? They were boys. How could she even stand to be in the same room with them?

Maybe it helped that they were not _human_ boys.

"I was covered in their…their _product_ of our 'love-making.' But I was too weak to do anything, and I was still dazed because of my arm. I just lay there, and I thought I was going to drown. I choked when he came down my throat, and he punched me in the eye. They laughed, finished with me, and left me curled up naked on that dirty floor, coughing up come, and crying. That was the last time I cried. After that, I had nothing left. They had beaten all the strength out of me. I realized I had no defense against these men, and I was doomed. When they came for me again, I offered no resistance, and just lay there like a corpse. It was time that they decided I was no fun anymore, and that it was time to get rid of me.

"When they came for me again, they didn't bother beating me or raping me. They just grabbed me and dragged me out of my cell. I couldn't stand by this time, and I flopped around like a rag doll, complete dead weight. They took me out of the building to a van. They threw me into the back, slammed the doors, and we drove away."

"Darn," said Donny softly. The others looked up at him, confused. "Where we found her was nowhere near where she was held captive," he explained. "Was it?" he asked her.

She shook her head.

"I don't know. We needed a car, so you're probably right. Anyway, we drove for a while, then we stopped, and I was dragged out of the car. It was just the leader this time, and me. He took me into the alleyway, where he covered my mouth and took me again. He needn't really have bothered; I wouldn't have screamed. I don't think I had the strength. When he was done, he got off and pulled out his gun and a crowbar. I don't know where the crowbar came from. He'd probably pulled it from the van when he dragged me out. He held the crowbar above his head and said, 'No one's gonna miss you, bitch.' Then he cracked me over the skull."

She touched the bandage on her head.

"The next thing I knew was the pain of Donny resetting my arm. I opened my eyes and I was in the sewers with four mutant ninja turtles."

She had meant the last line as a way to lighten up the dark way her story had come to a close, but no one laughed. No one even smiled. Everyone was staring at her in spellbound silence. She looked from one to the other.

"Well for heaven's sake, guys. Say something."

"How utterly, unabashedly cruel," Donny finally managed to spit out. "Knocking you out so you couldn't call for help. And then he shot you in the shoulder, so you wouldn't die immediately. What a…a…there aren't any words in the English vocabulary to describe it! I cannot believe anyone could be so heartless! Thank God we found you when we did! In a few minutes, you would have been dead."

"Actually, it was me who found her, thank you very much," said Mikey. She smiled.

"And I owe it to you. All of you."

She looked at Leo.

"And you probably want your hand back."

He wanted to tell her that she could hold it as long as she wanted, forever if she felt like it, but she had already let go. His hand suddenly felt cold without hers in it, but he resisted the urge to snatch it back. No sense in encouraging false hopes. He would have liked to believe she was clutching his hand the way she had because she was beginning to have feelings for him too, but that was foolish. She had been clutching his hand because she was frightened, and needed something solid to get through her story. He had just happened to be holding her at that moment.

"There's something else, too."

They all looked up. There was more to the story? Hadn't they heard enough for one night?

"When they dragged me out, I caught something on the side of the building. I don't know if it'll be any help or not, but I'll tell you anyway."

"What was it?" asked Leo.

"A drawing of a lit candle in a candle holder."

Donny sat up.

"Could you draw it out for us?"

"Sure. I mean, I'm no good at drawing, but it was pretty basic. I don't think I'd have a problem drawing it."

"I'll get you some paper and a pencil."

Donny disappeared into his lab, then reappeared carrying said items. He set them down in front of her, and in a few minutes, she had drawn up a simple, two-dimensional picture of a candle in a candle holder, the old kind with a tiny handle that was big enough only for one finger.

"Any specific colors?" Donny asked when she showed them. She shook her head, and he took the drawing and held it up.

"Look familiar to anyone?"

They all shook their heads. Their purple banded brother frowned.

"Hmm. I'll have to look it up later. Right now though…wait." He looked down at A.J. "Can you describe what your captors looked like now, or have you had enough for tonight?"

She shook her head.

"If there's anything more I can do, I want to do it."

"Do not push yourself, child," said Master Splinter gently. "If you do not think that you can handle any more…"

"I'll be fine," she said firmly, but she quickly added, "sir."

"She'll be all right, Master," Donny assured, bending down and picking her up out of the chair. "If it gets to be too much for her, I'll stop it."

"Thank you, Donatello," said the old rat. "And now, I could fancy a cup of tea."

"I'm goin' out," said Raf, getting up out of his chair. Donny, with A.J. in tow, disappeared into his lab, and Leo and Mikey were left sitting at the table.

"You wanna spar?" he asked.

"Sure thing, bro," Mikey replied, and followed him into the dojo.

**As you can see, very unsettling for our little heroine. I'll say it now, just so no one asks me about it later: I have never been raped, so what has been said in this story is only what I can imagine the poor young ladies who suffer this go through. But, that metal bar description is exactly how it felt my first time, though I don't know about anyone else, so there is some truth to my words, I hope. I have been also been caught in a situation where I was powerless to do anything, and that, ladies and gentlemen, is probably the worst feeling I have ever felt. **

**Okay, I don't think that it really is possible for four guys to get at one girl at once, but I didn't think about the physics until after I'd written this out. And anyway, I just threw it in there for the gross factor. So to anwer your question, yes, she has been through hell and back.**


	6. Chapter 6: Tears and Answers

**Thank you to all who reviewed, and for not flaming me for my my horrible torturing of poor A.J. I really appreciate it. Y'all are connecting with my characters, and that's a good sign.**

**To all you who know the turtles well, I need a little help. Does anyone know if they have a last name, and if they do, could you tell me please? Like I said, I'm new to the TMNT cult. Also, I need some ideas as to what to give them for Christmas (Sneak peek at the sequel:0) Thanks so much!**

**So, let's get this show on the road!  
**

* * *

"So...what do you think?" Leo asked his brother as he stretched his arms above his his head. 

"I think it's freaking disgusting, is what I think," Mikey replied. He bent his leg behind him, stretching out the muscles in his thigh. "Those four guys doing all that stuff to the poor girl." He shook his head and shivered. "Ugh. It's amazing she's turned out they way she has. I can't believe her sanity's still intact."

"It's horrible, all right," Leo agreed, leaning over to one side, then the other.

"And she's so sweet, too. Sweet girl. She didn't even scream when she first saw us."

"I think that was because she didn't really know what she was looking at, so she didn't know whether to scream or not."

"Either way, it makes me think that there are creeps in this world that do things to sweet little girls like her."

Leo rolled his broad shoulders. Master Splinter had taught them to always stretch before practicing, or they could pull something and end up in a lot of pain.

"She's hardly a little girl though, Mikey. She's gotta be at least our age. Maybe younger judging by how naive she comes off."

"She's not naive though."

"Heck no. She's seen more than most eighty year old women in the world. She's anything but naive. She just acts really innocent, kind of like a classic schoolgirl. You ready?"

"Yep. Ready when you are."

* * *

An hour and a half later found the two of them sitting on the couch, watching TV. Or rather, the TV was on, but the boys were just staring at it, their minds elsewhere. They were listening to the low voices coming from Donny's room, thinking about the task at hand. It had been a while since they'd shut down a huge operation like this, not since the Shredder had been silenced, and they were excited in a way, for another challenge. On the other hand, they had never faced this sort of crime before. They were venturing on unknown territory, and none of them knew the first thing about handling it. 

Questions were chasing each other around in Leo's mind. Who was behind all of this? Why were they doing it? And how many more bodies were going to turn up before they were caught?

No one ever said they were pleasant questions.

Towards the end of her time in Donny's lab, A.J's voice became higher in pitch and more distressed. They could hear Donny trying to calm her down, and as her voice got louder, they could hear her crying again. Her breath be came raked with sobs, and whatever she had been saying became unintelligible. After about five minutes, Donny emerged, the human girl cradled in his arms.

"Here, Leo," he said, handing over the bundle to his blue-banded brother. He had an uncomfortable look on his face, as though he had no idea what to do with a crying girl. "You were really good with her last time. She's pretty upset."

"I guess," he replied, folding her into his arms. "What happened? Did you get the descriptions?"

His brother's eyes sparkled as they always did when he was onto something.

"We have faces," he said gleefully. A.J. let out a choked cry. Leo looked at the others.

"Wait here," he told them. "I think this one needs to calm down. I'll be right back."

He took A.J. to the bathroom, set her down on the tub, and began to draw the water. He took a towel off the rack, and set it down near her. He looked into her eyes, bloodshot and tear-filled from all her crying.

"Hey. Get cleaned up, okay? I'm gonna talk to my bros, but I'll be back when you're finished. Sound alright to you?"

She wiped her face on her sleeve, then nodded, unable to make her mouth form words. Leo put his arms around her in what was probably an uncomfortable hug for her, but it was the best he could do.

"Don't worry. We'll catch these guys, and when we do, we'll make them pay for what they've done to you. Okay?"

Her hands clutched his shell, and he felt her nod into his shoulder. He held her for a moment longer, then released her. She managed a weak smile before he turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Back in the living room, he faced his brothers.

"What happened?" he asked Donny.

"Yeah really, Don," Mikey put in. "What did you do to her in there?"

"_I_ did everything I was supposed to do," Donny snapped at him. To Leo, he said, "She was doing fine when she was describing them to me, even as we went through the facial matches. It was when she was describing the leader dude that that she started choking up, and then when I showed them all on the screen, she freaked out and started crying really hard. That's when I figured she'd had enough, and brought her out."

"Good move. I made her take a bath, so she would be out of our way for an hour or so. Did anyone of them look familiar?"

Donny shook his head.

"None that I recognized. But I can run some scans through police records and see if they've been convicted of anything else, then maybe we can get a name."

Mikey frowned.

"You can do that?"

"I can," Donny replied, a glitter of mischief in his eyes. "The local records aren't that hard to hack into."

"Check records from other states, too," said Leo thoughtfully. "In case they've been convicted of anything in other places."

"Ooh, good thought," said Donny.

"And see if you can find anything on that candle drawing as well. That's an important clue to where she was held. Look for larger buildings. Wherever this place is, it's big."

Donny nodded.

"Got it."

He disappeared into his lab again. Leo turned to Mikey.

"Go back to the place where we found A.J.'s body. Search the area and see if you can find anything that might help us."

"Anything special I'm looking for?"

"A clue might be nice. Oh, and if you run into Raf, make him help you."

Mikey didn't look too thrilled at the idea of forcing his hot-tempered brother into helping him look for clues, but he nodded anyway.

"Okay, dude. What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna stay here with her. See if there's anything more I can do to help."

Mikey nodded again, and turned to leave.

"Hang on a second," Leo stopped him. "Take a pair of gloves, and a camera. Just in case you find something interesting."

"Right."

Mikey gathered up the items in question, flipped his skateboard into his hand with practiced ease, and left the lair. Leo, meanwhile, sat down, staring mindlessly at the TV. He sat there for a few minutes, then got up and poured himself a cup of tea from the pot Master Splinter had made. He sat back down, blew on his tea to cool it, then took a drink. The liquid was hot against his lips and tongue, but it was good. He took a deep breath and let it out again, repeating this several times to calm his nerves and clear his mind. He had to be in control if he was going to help her. He couldn't let himself run away with his feelings, because it would only distress her more. If she saw how calmly he was handling the situation, maybe she herself would be calm as well.

Not to mention the wonders a bath can work on the body and mind.

He stared at the TV again. _Will and Grace_ was on, but he wasn't paying attention. His mind was elsewhere, mostly on how she could have survived the horrific events she had described to then two hours earlier with the ability to function like any normal girl her age. She wasn't nervous and jumpy, nor did she sit and twitch uncontrollably. She hadn't escaped completely though. She had suffered two breakdowns today, she still was a little reluctant to being touched, and she was afraid of the dark, but other than that, there were only the physical scars left behind. The bullet holes would scar no doubt, and there would probably be some permanent damage done...between her legs, but most of her wounds were just bruises and minor cuts and scrapes that would heal fine in a week or two. Her fingers would take a little longer, though.

_Donny was right about you,_ he thought to himself. _You are one tough cookie._

His mind wandered again, back to the night he had first seen her singing in that stadium. He remembered the song, and how eerie the coincidence had been that he should be hearing that particular song at that particular time. Her voice still rang in his ears.

_"I need a hero _

_I'm holding out for a hero 'till the end of the night.  
_

Was there a reason that she had not died in the five minutes between the shooting and when they had actually found her? Was it possible that she held on to her life because, somehow, she could feel that they were coming? The song had said she was holding out for a hero. Even a year later, could that still be true?

He shook his head. No, that was impossible. It was just a coincidence. She had said herself that she had really thought she was going to die, and not once had she mentioned in her story that she had somehow felt a reason to try and stay alive, even in her subconscious. Still, the coincidence itself was too eerie to ignore.

He set his cup down on the table, preparing to head back and see if A.J. was done with her bath. He stopped, and got another cup out of the cabinet, setting it down on the counter and pouring the last of the tea into it. She might appreciate it, he thought. She needs it, and Donny did say to see that she gets a lot of fluid to help with the blood loss. Once that was done, he headed back to the bathroom door. He knocked.

"A.J.?" he called.

"Come in," she replied.

He opened the door. The room was warm and steamed up, and she was sitting on the edge of the tub, dressed in her robe and running her fingers through her hair, just like she had been the last time she was here. She smiled when she saw him.

"Thanks, I feel much better now," she said. He picked her up and carried her out of the room. "I am a little hungry though."

"Well, let's see if we can't find something for you to eat in here. Oh, here."

He set her down at the table, then handed her the mug of tea he had made for her a few minutes before.

"Thanks again," she said, bringing it up to her lips. Leo went into the pantry, looked around for a minute, then came back out with a can of chicken noodle soup.

"I think you're ready to eat this."

"More soup?" she asked in mock exasperation.

He held it up.

"Chicken noodle," he said. "You actually get to chew."

"All right!" she said happily. She drank some more of her tea as he poured the soup into a bowl and put it into the microwave. Then, he took a banana out of the fruit bowl and handed it to her.

"I guess it won't kill you to eat that, too," he said. She took it and began peeling it. He sat down next to her as she bit into it.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She looked at him, mouth full of banana, her cheeks puffed out. The look was comical, and Leo bit back a laugh. The question was supposed to be a serious one.

She swallowed and nodded.

"I'll be fine," she said briskly. "I'm well on my way to recovery, and eating semi-solid food no less."

"You know what I mean," he said. "You're body's healing fine, but…" he stopped. How did he tell her what was on his mind?

To his surprise, she smiled.

"I _never _want to see a naked man again," she said, then started giggling.

"Well," said Leo, laughing along with her. "I'm sure that can be arranged." She giggled harder. It was good to hear her laugh after only hearing her sob for the past few hours, but in the back of his mind, Leo was wondering. Surely she meant a naked human. But she'd never said anything about…

_Get a grip, Leo,_ he chided himself. _She's just been through a horribly traumatic experience. There's no use thinking like that. Get your mind out of there. _

The timer beeped, jerking him out of his thoughts. He got up and took the bowl out of the microwave. He stirred the soup with a spoon, then put it back. He let it warm for a minute and stood in front of the microwave, trying to get a handle on himself. As a protector, it was his duty to keep others safe. Taking advantage of a young human girl was not exactly a way to carry that duty out, especially when she was as shaken up and vulnerable as she was. She was beautiful, sweet and good-natured, polite, shy and modest. He would never dream of hurting her, even if it meant sacrificing his own desires.

He looked over his shoulder at her. She had her eyes closed and was drinking deeply from her mug, the empty banana peel in front of her, blissfully unaware of the struggle inside of him. He took a deep breath, the sound lost in the beeping of the timer again, and shoved these feelings into the back of his mind. He'd deal with them later. Right now, he had to concentrate on feeding her, and making her comfortable.

"Where is everyone?" she asked brightly as he took the soup out of the microwave and brought it over to her.

"Donny's in his lab, trying to see if he can find out who your captors are," Leo replied, setting the bowl down in front of her and turning back to get the spoon. "Mikey's gone back to the crime scene to see if he can find any clues, and I have no idea where Raf is. Hopefully, Mikey got him to help out, but there's no guarantee of that."

"So much for working as a team, huh?" she said with a knowing look on her face, then dug her spoon into the soup and put it in her mouth. He lowered his eyes in embarrassment, and that was when he noticed the bruises.

The folds of the robe had come open on her legs, and though they were crossed, he could see a black shading on the insides of her thighs. He frowned deeply.

"What happened to your legs?" he asked.

She looked up at him, then down at her lap. An unpleasant look came across her face, and she tugged the robe over them.

"It's from…_them,_" she muttered.

"Let me see," said Leo sternly. Her eyes flashed in panic, and she flinched slightly. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Her distrust was still evident in her eyes, but she didn't protest when he placed his hand on her knee and moved her leg so he could see the damage. The entire inside of her thighs were blue, black and a nasty shade of purple. Leo winced, and put her leg back.

"Ouch!"

"Yeah," she said, tugging the robe over her legs again. "They were really rough."

"I'm sorry," he said softly. Then he realized just exactly what he had done, and flushed hotly. He hoped she didn't notice.

"I…I didn't mean to frighten you," he stammered. "And I didn't mean to stare."

She looked up at him in surprise, as though she hadn't expected him to apologize.

"You're forgiven," she said, and put the spoon in her mouth.

Just then, Mikey burst into the lair.

"Dude, I just totally ran into the Nightwatcher!" he crowed.

Leo rolled his eyes.

"Not again," he groaned. It was all Mikey could talk about sometimes. A.J., on the other hand, was confused.

"Who's the Nightwatcher?"

"'Who's the Nightwatcher?'" he said, looking at her like she was an imbecile. "You're joking. You don't know who the Nightwatcher is?"

"Well, I haven't exactly been here very long," she said.

"The Nightwatcher is another protector of the city," Leo explained to her. "He showed up, when? Shortly after I left for South America?"

Mikey nodded.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. But he's so cool! He wears all black, he rides a motorcycle, and totally beats the snot out of people! And his suit's awesome!"

"Mikey!" said Leo sharply. "That's enough. I need to find him, and we need to have a little talk."

"What for?" she asked.

"I need to tell him he can pack up and get out. We've got the city now, and there's not enough room here for all of us."

"We've got the city now…right," Mikey muttered under his breath so neither one of them could hear him. He knew as well as the others that they weren't exactly protecting the city fighting with each other. But he said nothing.

"Did you find anything?" Leo asked, changing the subject. His brother shook his head.

"Nope. Rain washed away any evidence. Sorry bro."

"It's fine," Leo answered. "We've got more than enough to start with."

Mikey grinned at them, then headed back to their room. "See ya later, dudes and dudettes."

As soon as Mikey had disappeared, Donny reappeared.

"Hey guys." To A.J. he said, "Feeling better?"

She smiled again, that same, warm, shy smile she always gave him.

"Yes, thank you," she said, eating another mouthful of soup.

"Sorry about that whole thing in the lab. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I didn't mean to get upset," she answered, still smiling.

With that resolved, Donny looked at Leo.

"When you have a minute," he said, and Leo nodded. "Is Mikey back yet?"

Leo nodded again.

"He was raving on about the Nightwatcher again. Says he actually saw him tonight."

Donny chuckled, then said, "Did he see Raf by any chance?"

This time, Leo shook his head.

"Didn't mention it. And he's still out, so I guess not."

A.J. set her spoon down in the empty bowl, and yawned. Leo saw this, and got up. He picked her up.

"You need some rest," he said, carrying her to their room.

"Yes, sir," she said, smiling to show him she was kidding. Leo smiled back. "I'm up for a few hours, then I'm asleep again," she said with a laugh as she fell into Leo's bed.

"It's good for you," said Leo. As he covered her up he motioned to Mikey, who was sitting on his bed next to them, absorbed in his PSP. "Come on. Donny wants to talk to us."

"Okay. 'Night princess," he said to A.J., who giggled and closed her eyes.

"'Night, boys."

They left the room, remembering to leave the door cracked so she would not be enveloped in complete darkness. A.J. let her head sink deeply into the pillow, breathing deep. The sheets smelled like Leo, and she remembered how he had held her when she'd had her first breakdown of the evening. True, he was a turtle and not exactly the most comfortable thing to lean on, but the way he had held her in his arms had filled her with a pleasure she had not felt in a long time. For nearly three months, the only touch she had known was cruel, hard, and hurtful, and now, suddenly, she was with four boys whose only touch was gentle and tender. Her captors had handled her to break her: Leo, Mikey, Donny and even Raf handled her like she was a porcelain doll, fragile and delicate. They looked intimidating at first sight: tall, broad-shouldered and muscular, but that very strength that could probably smash someone's face in had carried her easily from one place to the next, without any fear of dropping her on her head. Her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help smiling. They all were kind and helpful, but Leo more than his brothers. He seemed to go out of his way to help her out. It was cute, but there was more than that. He had sheltered her, made her feel safe, and that was something she hadn't felt in a long time. Even before her captivity, she hadn't really, truly felt safe since her girlfriend and her brother had died. She may have been relatively safe from criminals, being New York City there was always a risk, but she had never been free of her parents disapproving eyes, her father's harsh words, and the feelings that, somehow, their deaths had been her fault. She had never been able to escape her self-consciousness, her fear that she was not good enough for the world.

But down here, the world didn't matter, and neither did anything else.

* * *

"Any luck on the matches, Donny?"

The three brothers found themselves sitting in a circle in the living room, Leo and Mikey on the couch and Donny in front of the TV, which had now been switched off. The genius turtle shook his head.

"Nope. Not here or anywhere else. Our boys seem to be clean, although there's nothing to suggest that they weren't convicted of small crimes like vandalism or trespassing when they were younger, and that's why their pictures don't match. This would have been a lot easier if we'd had names to go with them, but…it's a start. I can also get into the DMV's records and see if we can get a match that way as well."

Leo nodded his head.

"Good job."

"I did, however, find something on the candle drawing. It's the emblem of a shipping company that went out of business about five years ago. They had a bunch of warehouses around the city, although most of them have been closed up or torn down. But there are a few that are still up."

"Hmm." Leo frowned.

"So you think these dudes bought one of the warehouses and turned it into a creep-fest for little girls?" asked Mikey. Both Leo and Donny smiled at his word choice. If there was anything Mikey had a creativity with, it was language.

"It's possible," said Leo.

"Not just possible: likely," Donny corrected him. "As you said, Leo, this place needs to be big, and there are fewer places bigger than a warehouse. My guess would be they bought the property with the warehouse still on it, divided it up into cells, and never bothered to paint over the sign."

"Probably to hide," Leo continued. "I bet they kept the purchase real quiet, didn't make a huge press deal about it so that no one would know it was sold, just in case anyone really did find out what they were doing there. Covering up the candle would be a further clue that something was going on there."

"But how did they keep the building process quiet?" Mikey asked suddenly. "All that construction equipment needed to build the walls and doors and stuff, plus plumbing, electricity and who know what else. Someone was bound to notice something."

"He's right," said Donny. "A.J. said that it was really cold, and that she had a toilet that flushed. In order to install all that, they would have had to tear the whole thing down and rebuild it from the ground up. And bulldozers, cement mixers and industrioneumatic chisels aren't exactly quiet."

"Industrio-what?"

"Industrioneumatic chisel. It's an air-powered machine with a giant chisel at the end that makes a sound like a woodpecker or a really slow machine gun. It's used to break up hard things like concrete, rock and asphalt."

"I thought those were only used at demolition sites," said Leo.

"Mostly they are, but sometimes a construction sites too. They come in handy when you need to get into the ground so you can install things like pipes and wiring."

He rolled his eyes at his brothers' blank faces. He enjoyed being the smart one of the group, but it could get very annoying when no one had a clue what he was talking about. He was such a mine for useless information such as the function of an industrioneumatic chisel.

"Anyway, I guess we'll find all that out when we do. For now, let's just take it one step at a time. I'll check the records and see if I can find any purchase of those properties."

"How're you gonna do that?" said Mikey.

"By hacking into the most reliable records in America," his brother replied with a grin. "Tax records. The bankruptcy of a huge company and the purchase of all properties therin? That's big man. Shouldn't be that hard."

With that, he turned and headed back to his lab. Leo turned the TV back on as Mikey looked at him.

"The most reliable records in America are tax records?" he asked.

"Apparently so," Leo answered. "But I think that's the case with all countries, too." He turned back to the TV, his eyes glazed over. Next to him, Mikey slouched and stuck his feet out in front of him.

"I wanna go stomp somebody," he sighed. "Can we go stomp somebody?"

"If you wanna stomp something go stomp sandbags," said Leo, not looking away from the screen. The flickering light was suddenly so fascinating. "Make some use of your time."

Mikey groaned.

"But that's all we've _been_ doing since you been gone!" he wined. "When are things gonna be like they were before?"

Leo sighed, and turned at last to look at his brother. There was no mistaking the sadness in his eyes.

"When we can learn to fight as a team again."

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, A.J. traveled along the road of recovery. There were times when she'd sleep for as much as two days and nights straight, but it was worth it. Her wounds healed, her bruises disappeared, and her fingers straightened themselves out, thanks to the homemade splints of Donny's. The bullet holes left two ugly scars on her shoulder, but there was nothing they could do about that, and at least they didn't get infected. She gained her weight back rapidly, helped out by the boys' diet of pizza, soda, and chocolate chip cookies once she was able to eat solid food again, and soon she was as plump and curved as she had been the night Leo first heard her sing. She regained her ability to walk too, first taking shaky steps on Leo's arm, then putting one foot in front of the other by herself. Much to Leo's disappointment of course, for now he could not hold her close for the few seconds it took to get her from Point A to Point B. Her cheeks filled out and regained their color, and the glow returned to her eyes. Her shyness subsided a little, and she laughed more easily, giggling until her sides hurt and she had tears in her eyes. Even her hair became shinier.

But, even though her strength had returned, and even though her health improved, even though she could hardly stop laughing when she spent time with the boys, when they left her side and went to sleep, her nightmares were never very far away…

* * *

**Ahh...the plot thickens... R&R, dudes!**

* * *


	7. Chapter 7: Airborne Football

**All right, this is the last time I'm going to say this, so listen up! I am not, I repeat, am NOT changing the spelling of Raf's name! I'm sort of biting the hand that feeds me here, but no amount of your crying is going to change it, so get over it. I've tried to be polite and I've tried to be nice about it; I even apologized if it bothered people, but for some reason that didn't work, so no more Mister Nice-Guy. If you don't like it, don't read it!**

**RAPHAEL. At least _I_ can spell his real name right. **

**Azura 5: Thanks for your review in particular. Glad I'm able to help. I have to say I wholeheartedly agree with you. Out of all the brothers, Leonardo romances are undisputedly the hardest to find. There must be something about his cool, mature attitude that turns people off, and I guess people seem to think that he's too uptight and snotty _to_ fall in love. (No offense to anyone who _does_ think that, by the way. You're entitled to your opinions too.) But when I was watching the TMNT 2007 movie, I saw so much more in him that just that.**

**People, Leo has a heart, too!**

_Darkness. Cold. Concrete beneath her. _

_Grimy hands all over her body. Pain. Floating away. Find a happy place. _

_Humiliation. Shame. Worthless. Helpless. _

_Hungry, wolfish eyes. _

A.J. awoke with a cry, throwing the blankets off her. It took her a few seconds for her to realize where she was, warm and safe in Leo's bed. She shook her head, wiping sweat from her lip. Looking around, she saw that Mikey and Donny were asleep in the beds next to hers, so she guessed it was after six or seven in the morning. The one farthest from the door was empty. Raf.

Ever since she had proven that she could walk without one of the boys to lean on, Leo had finally given in and gone out with his brothers nearly every night. He said it was because he felt they were ready to begin learning to fight crime again, but she knew the real reason. She didn't need constant supervision now. If she needed to get something to eat, she would get up and go to the kitchen. If she wanted to take a bath, she could walk to the bathroom. If she wanted to watch TV, she would go to the living room. She could take care of herself now, and, with no excuses left, Leo and his brothers raced out onto the rooftops of New York once again. They only went out at night, when they were less likely to be seen and crime rates went up, and they usually were not back until four or five in the morning. They hung out for a couple of hours before crashing at around six or seven, somehow managing to not wake her. She, on the other hand, had an internal alarm clock that told her to go to bed at midnight and wake up at around nine or ten. Her clock had screwed up over the past three months, mostly during her captivity, but now, with life settling down and returning to normal, it was beginning to get back on track.

Taking care not to wake the sleeping turtles, she crept quietly out of the room. She headed for the kitchen to pour herself a glass of milk. The clock in the microwave said 8:30, close to her wake-up time anyway. She was wide awake now, and figured it would be useless to try and go back to sleep. Since she was already up, she may as well get breakfast.

She didn't see Leo on the couch until after she had put the milk back into the fridge. She noticed that the TV was on, then she heard his breathing, deep and relaxed in sleep. Walking around the couch, she found him sitting with his elbow in the armrest, his head cradled in one three-fingered hand. Smiling, she looked for the remote, located it, and switched the TV off. She set the remote on top of it, then turned to look at her sleeping savior.

She tried to imagine herself a criminal, running from the crime scene. Maybe she had killed someone, maybe she had just held up a store and demanded the cash out of the drawer at gunpoint. Maybe all she had done was spraypaint obscenities on the side of a mailbox. Whatever she had done, she was running from it, adrenaline pumping though her veins like blood, hoping not to get caught. She tried to imagine her terror when she rounded a corner and found herself face-to-face with four pairs of cold brown eyes. She tried to imagine looking upon their inhuman forms in semi-darkness, making them look even more unnatural than they really were, and screaming. She tried to imagine looking upon them in utter horror and disgust. She tried to imagine how evil they must look to people in those circumstances, people who had no idea what they were looking at.

She couldn't.

She remembered how Leo had once told her that, more often than not, the first word that came from the lips of those who crossed their paths was, "monster."

She could see how, given the proper situation, they could look unearthly and spooky, but monsters? Never. She blushed furiously thinking this, but it was true. There was something beautiful about them, in a strange sort of way: the catlike grace with which they moved, the soft, educated way they spoke, without any cursing or harsh language. They could be intimidating, but not now, in sleep. She reached out and put a hand fondly on his shoulder. She remembered the first time she had touched his skin, and how shocked she had been to find that it wasn't leathery, but soft and smooth like a human's. Only their hands were rough, calloused from years of handling their weapons.

"Leo, how can I thank you enough?" she asked aloud.

She sat down on the couch next to him. He stirred with the movement, but he didn't wake up.

Ever since her girlfriend's death two years ago, she hadn't been all that enthusiastic about falling in love again. She had been with boys once or twice over the past school year, but those relationships had been empty and meaningless. Maybe it was just her, maybe it was the kinds of boys she seemed to attract, but to her, it seemed that boys were interested in nothing else but getting up her skirt. She knew this was unfair: not all boys were like that, but all the ones she had come across were.

Maybe it was because she was a redhead. They were supposed to be wild and hard to get, and everyone wants to say they did a redhead.

If that was their perception of redheads, she must have disappointed a lot of people. For the most part, she was quiet and shy by nature. There were times that she was not, like when she was singing, but most of the time, she liked to read, and didn't talk to anyone if she could avoid it.

It wasn't like it was hard; the way people treated her made her feel like a nobody anyway. They ignored her, in school, on the streets, in her relationships. Her boyfriends had just needed her on their arm like a piece of jewelry: a pretty trinket they could show off. More often than not, they stood in a group with their friends, with her standing by them, not paying any attention to her. Not that she was an attention hog, of course, but it could get rather irritating after a while. At some point, she got tired of it. Even in her own home, when her parents were not yelling at her, they occupied themselves with something else whenever she entered the room, as though they wanted her to know they pretended she didn't exist.

But down here, with these strange teenaged boys, she wasn't a nobody. They didn't ignore her, talk to each other like she wasn't there, or treat her like she was invisible. Especially Leo, who did everything he could for her. He was such a gentleman, so different from anyone she had ever met before.

_Why does this always happen?_ She thought to herself. _Girl with a horrible love life meets some guy who totally knocks her socks off. _

Hopefully, her socks would be all he was knocking off. Since her kidnapping and abuse, she had seen enough to probably last her a lifetime. And anyway, he probably was just doing it because he felt he had to. That whole "honor" thing that ninjas seemed to be into. She was willing to bet her last dime that he had no feelings for her, though it would have been nice if he had, even if he wasn't human.

_Who cares anyway?_ she thought to herself. _As long as they're nice to you and treat you like you exist, does it really matter what they are? _

Still, the way he held her, and how he looked at her, spoke to her, and even when he touched her on accident, brought a smile to her lips. He made her feel warm and safe, and brought a blush to her cheeks.

And, he had saved her life. That was always an added bonus.

She got up, finished the last of her milk, and took the glass to the sink. She washed it and dried it, and put it back into the cupboard, because, while they managed to have a room full of computers, several video game systems, and a flat screen TV, one thing they didn't have was a dishwasher. They had to do all their dishes by hand. This was fine by her, because it gave her something to do, something to keep her mind occupied. Since she had arrived, they had grown a little bit lazy, and left her to do all the dishes. This was partly her fault, because she always volunteered to do them, but she suspected it mostly had to do with the fact that there was a girl in the house. But again, she didn't mind; it gave her a way to keep her hands busy as she did her thinking, and she had been doing a lot of that lately.

Thinking, not dishes.

"You know you're gonna have to go back soon, right?"

The rough voice nearly made her jump out of her skin. She swore her heart stopped for a minute as she started and turned to see where the voice had come from. It was from Raf, who was standing in the doorway that led to the rest of the sewers. Relieved, she leaned against the fridge, her hand on her chest to still her frantically beating heart.

"Oh God, Raf. You really scared me there."

"Sorry," the stoic turtle replied. "You know you can't stay here. You're a human: you don't belong here. You belong up there," he gestured with his head. "In the human world."

"I know," she said. It was true: she couldn't stay there. At some point, she would have to back home. She had to enroll for her last year of school before it was too late, she had to tell the police what had happened to her, and her parents, even though they acted like she wasn't there, were probably worried sick about her. Raf was right. Though they had been so kind to her, she couldn't impose on their hospitality much longer.

"But I love it here," she said wistfully. "Everything just seems so relaxed down here. It all seems to make sense."

"Think it does, huh?" Raf said darkly. "Hmph. You would think that too, wouldn't you?"

She was a little stung at his words. She was trying to give them a complement, and here he was, insulting her.

"I meant…" she started to say, but he cut her off.

"Forget it. I'm goin' to bed. Hey, Leo." He punched his brother in the arm, waking him up. "A.J.'s awake."

Bleary-eyed from sleep, Leo stumbled from the couch and onto his feet. He turned around, saw A.J., and managed a smile. Though she was still hurt from Raf's reply, she smiled back.

"Rough night?" she asked him. He shrugged.

"Not too bad. Are you finished with my bed?"

"Mm-hmm. You can go sleep in it now."

"Thanks. See you tonight."

He disappeared into their bedroom, leaving her behind. She returned to the dishes, scrubbing and drying them one by one, thinking. Yes, it was definitely time for her to go home.

* * *

That night, she informed the boys of her decision. They made a huge fuss out of it and tried to convince her to stay longer, but she stuck. Finally, they agreed. They exchanged phone numbers, A.J.'s house number for now until she got a new cell phone, and the boys gave her the two numbers they had: Mikey's Cowabunga Carl child's amusement services, and Donny's computer help line. She also told them where she lived, and Donny pinpointed the location on a map, figuring out how to get there from where the exit to their lair was. She said her good-byes to Master Splinter, promising him that she would come back and see him again, and then the boys prepared to take her topside, bringing their weapons in case they ran into trouble. 

She had dressed back into her school uniform: blouse, skirt, stockings and shoes, now clean from blood and dirt, and she had pulled her red hair into a ponytail on the back of her head, but kept two tendrils of it hanging in her face. Leo was burning to tell her she looked cute, but he didn't want to face the torment of his brothers, especially not in front of her, so he didn't mention it.

"There's just one thing," he explained as they took her to the door. "From here until we tell you, you have to keep your eyes closed."

"Why's that?" she asked.

"Safety," said Donny. "I know it seems a little stupid, but you can't know exactly where we live. We know you're no threat, but we just can't take that risk."

"I understand," she said. She, if anyone, should understand a need for privacy. She closed her eyes, and even put her hands over them to emphasize her comprehension.

Leo spun her around a couple of times, then Donny took her hand as he flipped the pipe and the hidden door in the wall opened. They went in a single file line, Leo in the front, followed by Mikey, then Donny leading A.J., and Raf bringing up the rear. Silently and swiftly, they made their way through the many tunnels until they reached a certain manhole. Leo climbed the ladder first, lifting the cover only a little bit to make sure no one was in sight, then gave them the thumbs up.

"All clear," he whispered as he pushed the sewer cover aside so he could climb out. Mikey was right behind him.

"So, you ever cross New York on the rooftops?" he asked as he helped A.J. out of the manhole. He pulled her out with one arm, both her hands clutching tightly to his. He grinned widely, even though she couldn't see him.

"No," she answered, kicking her feet to find the ground.

"Sure you have," said Donny, surfacing and holding out a hand to Raf, who just rolled his eyes and climbed out himself. "You just don't remember."

Even with her eyes closed, her brows twisted in confusion. There was a slight _clank_ as Raf put the sewer cover back into its place.

"Really?"

"You were unconscious," Leo explained. She turned around to follow the sound of his voice. "It was the night we found you and brought you back to our place."

"Oh, right. Duh," she said, smiling at her failure to notice the obvious.

Donny reached out an arm for her, but Leo stopped him.

"I got her. Hold on tight," he said, putting an arm around her waist. "I need two hands for this."

He had to bend over slightly so she could lock her arms around his neck. But when he straightened up again, it was almost like she wasn't there. Even when she wasn't starved, she weighed next to nothing.

"Can I open my eyes yet?"

"No," Donny told her as they began to scale the fire escape of the building next to them, Leo taking care not to knock her into anything. When they reached the top of the building, he put her down, spun her around a few times, then picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. There was an uncomfortable-sounding _smack!_ as both her open palms came down on his shell.

"Sorry."

"It's all right," she said. "I just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"Well, it's the easiest way to transport you. This way, I can hold onto you, but I still need my other arm for balance."

"Oh, okay. When can I open my eyes? My eyelids are getting tired."

He laughed.

"In a minute." He turned to his brothers. "Let's go, boys."

They took off, Leo a little ways behind the others, moving a little slower so as not to jar his burden too much. Though, judging by the sounds coming from behind him, she was having a bumpy ride anyways. There was one scary moment when he landed from a particularly hard jump and felt her head come down and crack against his shell.

"Ouch!" she cried. Leo stopped and put her down.

"Hold up, guys!" he yelled at his brothers. He looked at A.J., who was holding her forehead in one hand. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," she answered. She was weaving slightly on her feet, and Leo held onto her so she wouldn't trip on her heels. The others doubled back and landed next to them.

"What happened?" asked Donny.

"She hit her head," said Leo.

"Wow, nice going Leo," said Mikey. "Are you okay?" he asked A.J.

She nodded. Her eyes were still closed, and Leo had to smile. At least she did what she was told.

"Let me see," said Donny, gently pulling her hand away from her head. There was a small cut that was bleeding a little, and the area around it was starting to bruise.

"You'll be fine," he said after a minute's examination. "Your head feel okay?"

"Mm-hmm," she said, nodding. "I'm just a little dizzy."

A sad sort of smile came over Donny's face, and he said, "I hate to do this to you, but since you're already dizzy…"

He took her by the shoulders, spun her around twice one way, three times the other way, and around once again. When that was done, he faced her again.

"Thoroughly mixed up now?"

"I've been mixed up," she said, putting her hand back onto her head.

They laughed, and Donny said, "Okay, you can open your eyes now."

"All right!" Her lids pulled back, and they saw that she was still a little cross-eyed. She shook her head, and her irises righted themselves. She looked around, a shy smile on her face.

"Wow, the world sure looks different up here."

She went over to the edge of the building and peered over the side. Seeing how high up they were, she turned around quickly.

"Oh," was all she said. The boys grinned.

"Afraid of heights?"

"Oh, I'm not afraid. I just didn't know exactly how high up we were."

There was a rather awkward silence, as no one could think of anything to say, then it was broken by Raf's voice.

"We'd better get going."

The others nodded, then Mikey spoke up.

"Hold on guys. You wanna play football?"

Donny frowned at him.

"We don't have a ball, genius."

"No, I meant…" he began, and then it clicked in their minds.

"Oh, you mean _that_ kind of football," said Donny. "Well, I don't mind. How 'bout you guys?"

He looked around at his brothers.

"I don't care," Raf grumbled.

"Okay," said A.J. Leo gave them all a stern look.

"Just be careful with her. She's not a tough as we are."

Mikey threw a salute, then said, "Aye aye, dude!" A.J. giggled.

"Okay, spread out," said Leo. "Mikey, you go that way, Donny, you go that way, and Raf…I don't care where you go, as long as I can see you."

"Hmph," muttered Raf, and the three turtles took off in their respective directions, leaving Leo and A.J. behind.

"Give me your hand," he said. He didn't want to make her run, but he couldn't risk another head episode. Taking her hand securely in his, he jumped to the next roof, pulling her along behind him. When they landed, she stumbled, but found her footing and didn't fall.

"Are you okay?" he asked as soon as she had righted herself.

"Yep," she answered, doing her best to keep his pace as they ran together over the roof. "It's just hard to run in these things. You should be glad you don't have to wear them."

She was referring to her shoes. Leo wondered if he should tell her to try balancing on only two toes, but he decided not to. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Donny come up to their left, several yards away.

"So, what exactly are we playing?" she asked, her innocent eyes looking up at him.

"Well," he said, keeping Donny in his sight. "As a training exercise, to improve strength, coordination, reflexes and teamwork too I guess, me and my brothers would throw each other around, kind of like football, but without the rules, and with one of us as the ball. It's pretty fun."

"Turtle football," she said. "It does sound fun. But who's the ball? Because I can't catch any one of you; I'm not strong enough."

He slid his hand down to her wrist.

"Oh, you won't have to worry about that," she said. "You're the smallest, so you're the ball."

"Wait, whaaaaaa…?"

He jumped, and slung her to the left. She was still in the middle of her word, but he couldn't look to see if Donny had caught her, because he had to concentrate on landing. It was a pretty long jump, and his knees gave out as he landed. He rolled over a couple of times, then found his feet and stood up, all in one graceful movement. He kept running, glancing a look to his left.

A.J., her mouth still open with what she had been saying, felt herself swing in a semi-circle, saw her hand slip out of Leo's, and realized that she was flying backwards through the air. Her "what" began to turn into a scream, then she hit something hard and a strong arm wrapped around her waist.

"Gotcha!" Donny yelled triumphantly. They were jarred as he hit the comforting solidity of the next roof, then he asked, "How're you doing, sweetheart?"

She found herself unable to respond; the wind had been knocked out of her. Instead, she watched Leo somersault over his shell a few times, right himself, and keep running.

_Amazing,_ she thought. _Can anything hurt these guys? _

"A.J.!"

She sucked in her breath, startled.

"What?"

"Oh good," said Donny, relieved. "I was just making sure you were alive."

"I'm fine," she said, bouncing with his steps. "That was kind of fun, actually."

He saw Leo scale the ladder of a water tower, and veered over in that direction.

"Great," he told her. Keeping hold of her waist, he put his other hand behind her knees. "Ready?"

"Yeah!" she yelled, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Heads up, Leo!" Donny shouted, and launched her into the air. Her scream this time was not one of fear, but the kind that people utter when they're flying down a roller coaster: one of pure fun. Leo caught her bridal style, then turned, throwing her into the air again.

"Mikey!" he called to get his orange-banded brother's attention.

He saw it as though in slow motion. He threw A.J. from his arms, she twisted around, and Mikey came up behind her, reaching out for her hand. Their fingers actually brushed, and then she was falling, backward over the side of the building.

"Oh my God," said Leo as his brothers joined him. He turned to Mikey, fire in his eyes. "If she's dead, I will kill you."

Mikey saw the pain in his brother's eyes, and for a minute, it seemed he wasn't looking at Leo at all, but Raf. In fact, if it hadn't been for the blue, he could have sworn he _was_ looking at Raf, so sinister was that glare.

"She couldn't have survived," said Donny. "Not that fall. Maybe one of us could have done it, but not her. No way."

Leo's eyes narrowed. His A.J. was gone. After all the work they had done to get her back on her feet, and all the tears she had cried in the process, now she was dead, killed by a single, stupid mistake. And the one responsible was standing right in front of him, within arm's reach.

Mikey realized that his life was in danger.

"Leo," he said, holding up his hands. "Please don't kill me. It was an accident!"

"Your incompetence has just cost A.J. her life! She's dead, and it's your fault!"

"Leo…I'm sorry…"

"Wait!" Donny yelled suddenly, causing both Leo and Mikey to jump. "Look!"

He was pointing across the street at a green, shelled figure with a red mask standing on the top of an apartment complex. He was holding something white in his arms, something that was waving furiously at them.

"Hey guys! It's all right! I'm alive! Raf saved me!"

It was A.J. Raf must have seen her fall, and somehow managed to catch her before she hit the ground. They breathed a collective sigh of relief, then Mikey cheered.

"All right, Raf!"

The others joined in, then they hopped over to the apartments. Raf and A.J. had already gone ahead, because her townhouse was one street over, and when the others landed, they were already standing in front of her door. Raf was setting her down.

"Well Raf," she said when her feet touched the ground. "You sure know how to show a girl a good time."

Her eyes rolled up into her head and she fainted. Donny was closest, and caught her.

"Boy, what is it with girls and fainting?" asked Mikey as Donny slapped her face lightly to rouse her.

"No clue," said Raf.

A.J.'s eyes opened.

"What happened?"

"You just passed out," said Donny.

"Oh." She looked around. "Sorry." She got her feet under her and leaned on Donny as he helped her stand up. "Thanks, Don." She looked at Raf.

"Thanks for saving my life."

He shrugged.

"Sure. I couldn't just let you die. I just hope I've redeemed myself."

She frowned, confused. So did everyone else.

"Hmm?"

For the first time, Raf looked sheepish.

"The night we found you, I was the only one who didn't want to bring you back to our place. I wanted to take you to a hospital, or leave you where someone else would find you. I feel bad about it now, 'cause you woulda died if we left you there. I hope this puts me square again."

"You're forgiven," she said, giving him a hug. She turned to the others, and gave them all hugs in turn.

"Thanks so much, guys. For everything: for saving my life, for feeding me, giving me a place to sleep, and helping me walk again. Come see me, okay? I can't just forget you."

"Hey, you bet we'll come see you," said Mikey as he put his arms around her. "Life's more exciting with you in it."

She laughed, let go of him, then it was Leo's turn. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled so widely her eyes almost disappeared into her cheeks.

"Leo," she said, and hugged him. He lifted her off her feet, and she squeaked in surprise. When he set her down again, she didn't let go immediately. She held on for a minute longer, then gave him an extra squeeze before she pulled away. In that moment, Leo made his decision. She acted like she returned his affections, at least a little bit. And she certainly wasn't frightened or repulsed by them at all. It couldn't hurt to ask, could it?

She was still smiling.

"Thanks a million for all your help, Leo. Thanks for being there for me, and for carrying me everywhere."

"Don't mention it. You gonna be okay?"

"Of course."

Leo looked at his brothers, then jerked his head.

"Go on guys, I'll catch up."

"K."

"Sure thing, Leo."

They took off, and left the two of them on her doorstep.

"Hey," said Leo. It was now, or never. "Can I see you sometime? You know…" He threw a look at his brothers, who were waiting for him on the roof of the next townhouse. "Alone?"

For a moment, she was confused. Then, looking from his brothers to him, realization dawned on her face, and she blushed bright red.

"Oh! Of…of course…Leo. My window is that one right there." She pointed to the rightmost window on the second floor. "Just tap on it. I'm usually here."

Blushing furiously, she looked down at her neat little black shoes. Leo, thrilled that she had actually said yes, put his hand on her elbow, leaned over, and kissed her on the cheek. Her skin was smooth and hot beneath his lips. She looked up with a gasp, her eyes wide, and put a hand to her cheek. Leo raised his eyeridges at her.

"See ya," he said, then, before he started blushing, he took off for the roof, leaving an exhilarated A.J. behind.

Up on the roof, he prepared himself for the onslaught of jeers he would get from his brothers. They had seen everything.

"What was that, Leo?" asked Donny.

"Ooooh, Leeeooo!" Mikey crowed. Leo knew it was coming. Sure enough, in the most annoying sing-song voice ever, his brother yelled, "Leo and A.J. sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S…!"

To everyone's surprise, it was Raf who punched him.

"Shut up, Mikey," he growled.

"Yeah," Donny agreed. "You're breaking windows!"

"My singing's not that bad!" the joker protested.

"Ha!" shouted Raf and Donny together.

"You're singing is so bad…" Donny twisted his mouth around. "I can't think of anything witty to say right now. But your singing is really bad."

"That's why I make the jokes around here and you don't," said Mikey matter-of-factly. "For example, you could say…oh I don't know…like, 'Your singing is as bad as your scores the last time you played _Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess_.' Something like that."

"Dude, you just insulted yourself twice over," said Raf. "First your singing, then your _Legend of Zelda _scores, all in the same sentence. That's talent right there, bro."

As Mikey realized his mistake, his face fell, and he looked down at the ground.

"Aw, nuts."

"And this is why _I_ am the brains of this outfit," said Donny.

* * *

When they got back to the lair, they found Master Splinter sitting on the couch, watching TV and drinking a cup of tea. At his sons' return, he turned around. 

"Did you return Miss A.J. home safely?"

"Yes, Master," said Donny, grabbing a mug and pouring himself some tea. "No problems at all."

"Well, there was that…" Mikey began, but Donny silenced him with a glare.

"Shut up, Mikey. Geez, you never know when to put a lid on it, do you?"

Shamed again, Mikey hung his head. Donny took his tea and vanished into his lab, and Raf slouched off to the dojo. Leo, seeing the sadness in his final brother's eyes, came over and but a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Mikey. I'm really sorry I blew up on you like that. It was a mistake, and I had no right to get as mad as I did."

Mikey raised his head and looked at him.

"Really? You mean it?"

Leo smiled, and Mikey smiled back.

"You bet I do. It was an accident, like you said, and I apologize."

"Whoa," said Mikey. "Well, hey man. I should have been more careful. Thank God for Raf. I was so scared I really had killed her."

"Well, you didn't. She's fine, and I got all hissy over nothing."

"I can't believe you ain't mad."

"Nah. I forgive you. I hope you can forgive me."

"That's a big ten-four, dude!"

Leo held out his hand, and Mikey grasped it firmly, pulling his brother to him. They slapped each other's shells, then released each other. Mikey gave him the thumbs up, then disappeared off to their room. Leo watched him go, feeling like he was flying. A.J. had agreed to go out with him, and his friendship with his brothers was mending.

There was a lot for a turtle to be thankful for tonight.

Master Splinter had shut off the TV.

"What was that all about, Leonardo?"

Leo poured himself a cup of tea, knowing better than to lie to his father. He went to sit down on the couch next to him.

"Oh, just a little slipup we had along the way. We decided to play football with A.J., and Mikey kind of dropped her. Well, he didn't really drop her: he didn't catch her at all. Luckily for her, and probably for Mikey too, Raf had seen her fall, and saved her."

"But if it was Michaelangelo's mistake, then why did you feel the need to apologize, my son?"

He could feel his guilt burning his face. He could not meet his master's eyes.

"Well, I got really mad, and I threatened to kill him. Good thing Donny saw Raf with A.J., because if he hadn't, I might have killed him, or at least tried to, anyway."

"And this was all over a girl?"

Leo's head jerked up. How had he known? Could he tell? Were his feelings that obvious? Or was he just that easy to read?

"Well…I…I thought he'd killed her, and…" he stammered. Master Splinter smiled.

"You cannot fool me, my son."

He hung his head again, defeated.

"Yes, Master, it was," he admitted.

"I figured as much. Leonardo, I think you are in love."

Couldn't put anything past that old rat. Sharp as a tack, even now.

"I think I am, Master," Leo replied.

"Very well. I have nothing against A.J. She is a sweet girl, and she does seem to like you very much too. And there is certainly nothing wrong with indulging in an innocent diversion now and then. But, always remember your duties, and never forget where your true loyalties lie. You cannot let her distract you, and you most certainly cannot allow her to make you betray those you love most."

Leo nodded.

"Have you made your affections known to her?"

"Sort of. I asked her out tonight."

"And did she give her consent?"

"Yeah. She blushed."

"As human women often do when they are pleased. Well then, I hope she makes you very happy. Now, if you will excuse me, I would like to find out what happens next. You are dismissed."

Leo got up, and left Master Splinter to his soap operas, reflecting on what the old rat had just told him. He finished his tea, grabbed some matches from the stovetop, and slipped off to one of the back rooms to meditate, as the dojo was currently occupied by Raf.

It hadn't been used in a while, and it was a little dusty when he entered. It was one of the rooms they used for storage, and it was also a place where they would go sometimes to be alone and collect their thoughts. In earlier years, it was where they went when Master Splinter put them in time-out.

He found some spare candles, lit them, and set them up nearby. Then, his back against the wall, he sat down, crossed his legs beneath him, and set his hands on his knees. He closed his eyes, releasing his grip on life.

Dangerous thing, love, to make him turn on his own brother, his own flesh and blood with thoughts of murdering him, simply for one stupid little mistake. True, had it not been for Raf, she would not have survived that fall, but even her death should not have made him consider his brother's. It was their duty to protect others, but first and foremost, their duty was to their family, to each other. A.J. or no A.J., his brothers came first, period, and Leo vowed that no matter how much he loved her, and how much he would come to love her, he would never let her come between him and his brothers.

Ever.

**So, a little fun, a little tension, and a little "aww" material there at the end. As you probably guessed, my knowledge of video games is scant, due to the fact that I'd rather read a book that play video games. The whole "airborne football" idea comes from personal experiences. I hung around a lot of pretty big guys in school, and sometimes we would play "football," and I was the ball, because I'm a girl, and I'm not a very big person as it is. I don't know it the guys really would have played football with her or not, but I wanted to give Leo a chance to sort of blow his top, and then come through and apologize later. I also wanted to give Raf a moment to shine, as well.**

**Thanks to those who helped me out with their last name. Still waiting on Christmas present ideas, though...**

**R&R, dudes!**

* * *


	8. Chapter 8: A Human's Heart

**So from what I've seen about our turtle boys (which isn't much), their enemies have died in an accident, so I inferred that they didn't kill people, they just strung them up and let the police have them. But then I saw this clip on YouTube of one of the TV shows, (Fast Forward, I think) where Leo cuts the Shredder's head off, and I was very disturbed! I just couldn't stand to see my heroes as killers, and I don't think A.J. can either, so I've twisted the story around a little because this is fanfiction and I can do that.**

**Also, to anyone who's confused, Donny's face-matching program comes from something I saw in a James Bond movie. For Your Eyes Only, to be exact, and I'll explain exactly what it does in this chapter, so just a heads up on that.**

**Disclaimer: Do we really have to go over this again? Don't own the turtles or Master Splinter, never have and never will, and the face-matching program doesn't belong to me either.**

When it came to the technology department, his brother Donatello certainly took the prize.

He had developed a computer program that created faces based on descriptions given to him, and by entering certain commands into the computer, could come up with an almost accurate match. The pictures were never perfect, of course, because there were always certain factors that went into the margin of error, such as the witness's inability to recall exactly what the suspect looked like, but most the most part, the faces they came up with were correct.

Leo sat with the printed pictures of the four men who had abused A.J. The first three were very much like she had described to them, men who had reached the end of their prime and were preparing to enter old age. Men whose children were probably in high school or college. Men with graying hair, who were getting ready to retire and enjoy a warm fire in the winter and a glass of cool lemonade in the summer, with a book in their hands and a dog at their feet. Their faces were beginning to soften with age, their jowls beginning to droop like those of a bloodhound, and their eyes had a tired look in them as though they were done with their careers, whatever those may be, and ready to move onto a more comfortable chapter in their lives. They were the faces of men you would never suspect would torture and rape little girls for the sheer pleasure of it.

But the last face, the one that Donny had pointed out as the leader, was the face of a killer. He was much younger than his compatriots, probably around thirty or so, with the beginnings of crow's feet in the corners of his eyes. He had long, curly dark hair slicked back into a ponytail, dark brown eyes, and a goatee the same color of his hair. He probably could be considered extremely handsome, but his eyes betrayed him. Even with a computer, Donny had captured the inhuman look in them, a look that was hardened and cruel. This was the man A.J. had said was responsible for all the humiliation and shame she had felt in her time with them. More than the others, who had just done whatever he said, he had made her feel worthless and unwanted, like no one cared about her and no one would come to her rescue. He was the one who had inspired the fear in her, the one who had made her wish she were dead.

Leo wished this guy was dead. Looking at his picture, his calm, cool face, made Leo wish for nothing more than to run him through with his katanas, burying both of them to the hilt in his heart. But, in all his years of crime-fighting, as well as the one he had spent in South America, he had never killed anyone. He had beaten several people severely, but he had never taken a life. Master Splinter had always taught them to avoid killing anyone if they could help it, and all four of them had managed to stick to that rule. But now, with the most horrific crime they had ever faced on their hands, Leo wasn't sure he would be able to control himself if he ever came face to face with A.J.'s tormentor. It would be sinking to their level of course, but any man who would do such horrific things to a defenseless young girl did not deserve to live, even if that life was rotting in prison for the rest of his days.

Which, given the way the human's justice system worked, was probably what would happen.

Leo scoffed and left Donny's lab. The justice system may be more humane today, but their system of punishment was insufficient. If it were up to him, anyone who had the guts to take someone else's life on purpose and feel no regret for what they had done would lose their own, no questions asked.

It had been about two weeks since they had taken A.J. back home. It that time, the bond between brothers began to knit back together again, except for Raf. Still stubborn and resentful, he continued to take to vanishing for hours at a time on the nights when they stayed in, either to take a rest or to train a little more. Whatever he was doing when he went out on those nights was taking its toll on him. Even though he had a mask on, they could tell he had bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, and when he did show up, he was so exhausted he didn't even stop to eat before crashing into his bed, only to spend the day tossing and turning, troubled by nightmares only he could see. Leo had tried to approach his brother many times, and then he was sent packing as though he'd been bitten by a snake. Actually, it was Raf's spiteful words that hurt more than the most painful snake bite, especially when they were aimed at Leo. He picked on his other brothers as well, often giving Mikey the most sound beating he'd ever had in his life, but when he faced Leo, one could feel the hatred coming off him in waves that scorched even the toughest of barriers.

As for the others, they were getting used to the idea that Leo was now in charge, and were beginning to accept it. For Donny and Mikey, they were just glad to be a whole family again, and hoped that someday, they could work out their problems.

"I don't know why he hates me so much," Leo confessed to Donny one evening as the two were practicing on sandbags together. "I mean, I know he's sore at not being chosen for leader and all, but really…"

"I know," his purple masked brother agreed, slamming his fist into the sandbag so hard his knuckles cracked. "You'd think that wound would have healed by now. It's been a whole year."

"I just wish I could talk to him, find out what's hurting him. Can't he see that it hurts me, too?"

"It hurts all of us," Donny corrected him. "And Mikey's got the bruises to show for it. Well, he just needs to grow up and get over himself. You can't have everything you want in life."

"Especially us," said Leo. He aimed a kick, missed, lost his footing and fell. The slap of his hand against the mat to break his fall was a comforting sound, and his thoughts turned, as they usually did, to A.J. What Donny had said was true, you couldn't have everything you wanted in life, especially when you were a mutant turtle and forced to hide your face from the light of day and only come out at night like some monster in a fairy tale. But, somehow, he had managed to find a girl who didn't scream when she'd first seen them, who didn't shrink from his touch, and who smiled at him as though he were just a regular human boy. He had fallen in love with her from the moment he'd seen her, and now, that she'd agreed to go out with him, he liked to think she'd fallen in love with him, too. He had been working up the courage to go see her again, see her smile and hear her laugh, but he'd either been too busy with his brothers fighting crime, or trying to deal with Raf's insubordinate nature. Often, when he had decided to go out to talk to her, he had been forced to stay in because he'd had to help Donny pull Raf off Mikey again. Usually, if they were just wrestling, Mikey could be a tough opponent to beat, but when Raf attacked him like this, for no reason except sheer petulance, he never retaliated. He just threw his hands up over his head and waited for Raf to finish venting his spleen and slouch off. Neither Leo nor Donny could figure out why their brother could not or would not defend himself, though they had asked him once or twice. He never answered them, and finally they narrowed it down to two reasons: either he was struck absolutely numb with terror to see Raf so mad, or he couldn't bring himself to hit his brother back.

Leo stood up, and dusted himself off. There was nothing like a brisk workout to start the night, and now he was ready to search for something to eat. Looking over at Donny, he saw he had the same thing on his mind, and they were just preparing to leave the dojo when Mikey's urgent voice took them from a leisurely stroll to a run.

"Leo! Donny! Raf! Come look at this!"

He didn't sound like he was calling them to look at a new skateboard trick. For a split second, Leo and Donny looked at each other, then they flew across the room, pulled open the door, and burst into the living room.

"What's up, Mikey?" asked Donny.

Their brother was sitting on the couch, staring at the television with widened eyes.

"Check it out," he told them, pointing to the screen.

There was a picture of a cute little girl with dark brown hair and blue eyes, and a voice was telling them that her name was Julia Parkin, and she was eleven years old. Her body had been found in a back alleyway near the corner of 5th and Issacs, bruised and bloody. There were also signs of sexual abuse, and cause of death had been determined as a loss of blood through two gunshot wounds in the shoulder.

Their interest now snagged, Leo and Donny came to sit on the couch on either side of their brother. Just then, Raf stumbled in, bleary-eyed and sluggish from sleep.

"What's goin' on?" he grumbled.

"They've found another body like A.J.'s, except she was dead," said Mikey. Raf gave his head a shake, and opened his eyes wider. Suddenly, he was wide awake.

"Really? Where?" he asked, but Leo spoke before anyone else could.

"Wait a minute. What's this?"

"Parkin's body was the third found under such circumstances," the TV anchor was saying. He went on to say that the little girl had been a victim of an operation the authorities were beginning to call The Orphan Train, named for the first two women who had been killed, thirty and thirty-two year old sisters who had been discovered together in an alley behind a restaurant on L Street. They had both been single mothers, and the children they left behind were now orphans. Pictures of the two sisters appeared on the television screen. They were both black.

"That's strange," said Donny, as the program ended to a commercial break.

"What is?" asked Leo.

"The descriptions A.J. gave us were of white men. The fact that they would prey on women of other races surprises me. Serial killers tend to hunt within their own ethnic groups."

Raf yawned.

"At least they don't discriminate."

"On race or age, either," said Donny. "We've got victims from all over the spectrum here."

"Except they're all women," Leo put in.

"True."

"Speaking of which," Mikey spoke up suddenly. "How are you and A.J doing? It's been two weeks. Don't you think you two ought to go out on a date or something by now?"

"Yeah, I probably should," said Leo. "I've been kind of ignoring her. I haven't been a very nice boyfriend, have I?"

"No, you just sound like an idiot who doesn't know what he's doing," said Mikey, and he, Leo and Donny laughed.

"And I suppose Dr. Love over here can give me the answers?" he shot back, eagerly joining the fun.

They laughed harder as Mikey put on a mischievous grin and said, "To whatever question you have in mind. I know it all."

"No you don't!" Donny gasped out. "You've been cooped up down here just like the rest of us, you loser!"

It was a while before they could all catch their breaths. Raf didn't join in. He just glared, puffy-eyed at them over a bowl of cereal. As they began to calm down, he shook his head, and said, "You guys are stupid."

"Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine this evening," said Donny, plopping down with a bowl and the milk carton. He picked up the box of cereal and poured the contents into the bowl, adding the milk after it. Raf just scowled and stuck his spoon into his mouth.

Mikey joined them, and they proceeded to duke it out over the last of the cereal. Leo put the tea kettle on the stove. A pot of green tea was usually enough for him in the beginnings of the evenings, not being a huge breakfast person himself. He tuned out his brothers' squabbling, and thought about his new girlfriend again. He would go see her tonight, but they had been staying in for the past few days, and it was probably time they went out and kicked some serious behind. As Master Splinter had instructed them, it was business before pleasure, and his little redhead would have to wait until tomorrow. He would drop by, maybe sneak off to a quiet little corner where they could be by themselves, and while he was at it, tell Donny and Mikey to make sure Raf stayed in and got some sleep. It could only do him good, and it would make life easier for the rest of them as well. They'd actually be able to get on with life without his snapping at them at every given opportunity.

He contemplated calling her to let her know he was coming, but he decided he would surprise her, and just drop in unexpectedly. There were a whole bunch of reasons why he shouldn't, but hey, you only live once. Life was meant to be enjoyed, not wasted.

Breaking out of his reverie, he broke up his brothers' quarrel.

"Hurry up, boys. We're gonna go out tonight, so get it together."

"Why are we goin' out tonight?" asked Raf stubbornly.

"Because I said so," Leo stated firmly. He didn't want to argue with him, because it would only make matters worse. "Unless you wanna stay inside and sleep."

It was one thing he knew would snap his brother into action. To have to stay behind while everyone else was out having fun was absolute torture for Raf, so no matter how tired he was, he got up to retrieve his sai from where he had left them last: next to his bed.

* * *

A.J. sat on her bed, in front of which her miniature television sat. She had been drawn by one word she had heard the news anchor speak: Nightwatcher. There was a picture, which she was staring at now. There wasn't much to see: he was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed completely in black body armor. A motorcycle helmet on his head hid his face, and he was wearing gloves and huge, heavy boots. A.J. was wondering if he ever got hot in all that equipment, although it was probably nice in the New York winters. Mikey was right: he did look pretty cool, though somewhat frightening and rather sinister. She would hate to be the idiot who crossed his path and made him mad.

_Tap, tap, tap. _

The sound broke her thoughts. She switched off the TV, wondering where the noise had come from, and why it was there, and then it struck her. There was only one reason why someone would be tapping on her window at this time of night.

A couple of shivers went down her spine, and a faint scattering of goosebumps skittered across her skin. After two weeks that had seemed to last forever, when her terrible ordeal had begun to fade into the deep recesses of her subconscious like the memory of a bad dream, he was here.

The tapping came again, and she jerked back into the present. She crossed the room, pulled back the curtains, and opened the window. Sure enough, Leo was perched outside on the windowsill.

"Hey!" she said happily.

"Hey," he answered, grinning widely. He was pleased at her reaction; he had been afraid she was going to yell at him for not coming sooner.

"Come in. Where have you been?" she asked, mock displeasure on her face. It still couldn't hide the fact that she was glad to see him, though.

"Busy," he said as she stood back to let him in. He squeezed through the tiny space, amazed that he'd managed to get through when he set his feet on the carpet. "Raf's been causing problems. I would have come sooner, but he's been beating up on Mikey lately, and I've had to stay behind to break it up."

"Oh no," she said, concern furrowing her brows. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. She had to stand on her tiptoes to do it, and he had to bend over slightly to return it as he put his arms around her tiny waist.

"What's up with him anyway?" she asked when he released her.

"I think it has something to do with me," he confessed. He had been through all this before with his brothers, but it would be interesting to see what she made of the whole situation. "He really wanted to be leader, but Master Splinter picked me instead. I guess he never really got over it."

"How sad," she said, shaking her head.

"I know. And the worst part of it is, none of us can talk to him. He lashes out whenever we get too close, and Mikey gets the worst of it, because he won't fight back. I don't know why."

"Maybe he doesn't want to make it worse."

"Maybe. Anyway, I don't know what we're going to do about it."

"Just give it time. He'll come around, you'll see."

"I wish I had your optimism. So," he said briskly, looking around. "This is your room?"

"Yep," she said, waving her hand around in a haphazardly manner. "This is where I live. Inside these four walls."

"Hmm."

"What? What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, realizing that he had just sounded insulting. "Nothing at all. It looks cozy."

She shrugged.

"Well, I make do."

"Why do you have two beds?"

"Huh? Oh." She noticed where he was pointing. "My sister and I used to share this room. She left for college this summer, and there's nowhere else to put the bed, so it just stays here. Plus, it's a great place to dump stuff if I don't feel like putting it away."

"I see that," he agreed, looking at the assortment of objects on the bed: her backpack, papers, her jacket, a brush, a lunchbox, and a couple of textbooks as well as regular books. Probably school reading material.

"Here. There's someone I want you to meet."

She bent over her own bed and turned back around, holding something he had not noticed before. In her arms was a huge black tomcat who, if he was stretched out all the way, might have been at least half as tall as A.J. herself. He had his furry black paws wrapped around her neck, his back to Leo, and he was grumbling softly because she had disturbed his nap.

"Midnight, this is my new boyfriend, Leo. Leo, this is my cat Midnight."

"He's cute," said Leo, reaching out to pet the cat. Most of the animals he had run across were mangy, starved creatures who had tempers as bad as their appearances and for that reason, Master Splinter had never allowed them to have any pets. Midnight's fur was soft, almost as soft as his owner's hair.

The cat twisted his head around to locate the source of the petting, saw Leo, and immediately began to squirm in A.J.'s arms, hissing and spitting in mad terror. A.J did a good job of holding onto him, even though his back claws were digging into her arms. He finally wormed out of her grip and bounded under the other bed, his greenish-yellow eyes glowing in the darkness.

"Midnight!" she scolded, but let him be. "Sorry about him."

"It's okay," Leo answered. "I don't blame him, really. I mean, look at me."

"No, that's not it," she said. "He's just not used to you, that's all. He doesn't really like men very much. He hates my dad, and he's hated all my other boyfriends." She sat down on her bed, and Leo had to smile because her feet didn't touch the floor. "He was here when we moved here a year ago. We'd see him skulking around the house, but never leaving the yard, so we decided he must have belonged to the family that lived here before us, and they left him behind when they moved away. Anyway, we came here, and he just sort of adopted us. I think he might have been abused, because he's pretty skittish, and like I said, he really hates men. That," she added with a smile. "And I don't think he likes to share."

"Well," said Leo, sitting down on the bed next to her and pulling her into his arms. "That's just too bad for him."

She burst into a fit of giggles and hugged him back, nuzzling her face into his neck. They cuddled for a minute, then settled down.

"You wanna go anywhere tonight?" he asked.

"No," she said. "Let's just stay here and talk."

"Okay," he said. "What do you want to talk about?"

She was about to answerer, but just then there was a knock on her door and a man's voice yelled. "A.J.!"

"Shoot!" she whispered. "It's my dad! Quick, get out on the roof!"

There was a shelf of roof beneath her windowsill that made it easy to get from her window to the actual roof of the townhouse, and it was on this piece of roof that Leo hid. There was a place out of sight from the inside of the house where one could stand and not be spotted without actually standing on the roof itself. He pressed himself against the wall, listening to the sounds that were coming from inside her room. He heard the door open, and that same male voice say, "A.J., I thought I heard a boy's voice in here."

"I'm on the phone, Dad!" she snapped.

"Who is it!" the man yelled again.

"It's my friend Josh," she said. He heard her say, as though she really was talking to a friend on the phone, "Hang on Josh. Can I call you back in a minute? Cool. Bye." He heard something click, and her voice again, sour with unwelcome. "What, Dad?"

"Was that your boyfriend?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," she growled. "I haven't had a boyfriend since you told Greg that I wasn't allowed to date and shut the door in his face."

"The child was a no-good bastard: you could tell that a mile off!"

"Oh he was not! Your problem is you blow everything out of proportion. You shouldn't judge people by their appearances."

"Don't tell me what to do, young lady!"

"Oh, so you can tell me how to live my life, but I can't ask you to be civil whenever a friend of mine comes to the door?"

"Watch that attitude, Abigail Jessica Lewis!"

She didn't respond, and he began to rant.

"We feed you, clothe you, and make sure there is a roof over your head, and you treat us like we're the meanest parents in the world! It's our job to take care of you, and you would do well to respect those higher than you! That means no talking back, and doing the things we ask of you! Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," she grumbled.

"Why is your window open?"

"It's hot in here."

There was a silence, and Leo could tell that he didn't believe her.

"No it isn't."

"Well," she faltered. "It is to me."

For a moment, Leo was afraid he was going to come out and look to see why she had her window open, but all he said was, "The temperature's fine. Close it!"

He heard the door slam so hard the house shook under his feet, then A.J. poked her head out the window.

"Hey. Sorry about that. My dad's a mean old bag, and he's been even worse now that I'm back. I swear, he goes out of his way to yell at me."

"He's really that bad?"

"Yep. You'd think he'd be nicer to me after what happened, but oh, no." She shook her head. "I guess he thinks that it's my fault, too."

Leo was horrified.

"But it wasn't your fault. It's not like you have any control over when you get raped or not."

She let him back into her room, and they sat down on her bed again.

"Yeah, I know. But he blames me for everything, and when he's not blaming me, he's blaming David, my little brother. We're pretty used to it now, actually. He never was quite the same after Chase died. He was my father's favorite son, you know, like Helen is his favorite daughter."

"Your parents play favorites?" He had never heard of such a thing before. Master Splinter had always loved him and his brothers equally.

"They shouldn't. Maybe playing favorites isn't the proper way to say it. Chase and Helen were closer to him, while David and I were closer to Mom. After Chase died, he just started losing it. And now that Helen's gone, he doesn't know how to cope. He's lost his favorite kids, while Mom still has hers. Maybe he's jealous of her, and so he takes it out on us, especially me because I look a lot like her. I don't know: he's really weird. I don't get him."

Leo took a moment to silently consider himself very lucky to have Master Splinter as a father.

"Did he really shut the door in your old boyfriend's face?"

She laughed.

"Yep. I shouldn't be laughing, because it wasn't funny at the time, but it is now. That was about a year ago. Greg was the first time I'd dated since my girlfriend died, and my dad got so mad that I'd had the nerve to bring him home that he told him that I couldn't date and slammed the door on him." She paused to take a breath. "That was the last time I brought a boy home. I had another boyfriend after him, but my dad never knew about him." She paused again. "I hated him anyway. He wasn't a very good boyfriend. He ignored me a lot."

Leo felt himself blush as he remembered that was exactly what he'd been doing for the past two weeks. Hopefully, he would be a better boyfriend than those she'd had previously, though.

"Why aren't you allowed to date?"

She shrugged.

"I have no idea. I think my dad thinks I should be asexual or something. But, anyway…"

She stretched her arms and legs out in front of her, touching her toes. Leo took this as a cue to change the subject.

"So, how have you been getting along?"

"Pretty good," she replied, curling back up again. "I got enrolled in school, as you can see." she gestured to the backpack, books and papers on her other bed. "And… drumroll, please…" she said, grinning. "I went to the police station and reported the crime."

Her eyes shone, and Leo's heart seemed to swell as he looked into her glowing face.

"Good for you!" he said, holding his hand up. She slapped it vigorously.

"They say most rapes are never reported. Not this time! I told them everything I told you guys, even the descriptions. I'm gonna make every one of those bastards pay for what they've done to me!"

He smiled at her enthusiasm. She had a face meant to smile, and it was a true blessing not to see it streaked with tears.

"Well, why don't you let us take care of the paying. You did your part in telling the cops about it."

"Yeah."

Suddenly, her face fell for a moment, and there was a flicker of sadness in her gleaming eyes. It was as if something were haunting her in the back of her mind. But then it was gone, and she was smiling again.

"And guess what? I didn't cry this time. It was tough telling them, but at least I didn't cry." Her eyes flashed. "I hope they're good and scared when they find out the cops are onto them."

"If the cops are smart, they won't report to the press what you've told them."

She frowned.

"Why not?"

"Because they want to catch these guys, and they don't want them to know how far along they are in the investigation. If this gets onto the news, there's a good chance that the criminals will see it, and make it harder to catch them."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense." She was quiet for a minute, thinking about how she had helped the investigation. Leo wondered if he should tell her what he had seen on the news the day before. He decided against it. It would probably upset her, and that was the last thing he wanted to do right now. He wanted to see her smile again. Even more, he wanted to see her laugh.

"Are you ticklish?" he asked her.

She looked at him with a shy glitter in her eyes.

"No," she said, but the tone of her voice and the way she was trying hard not to smile told him otherwise. He grabbed her sides, and she let out a squeak.

"Liar!" he cried, tickling harder. She fell out flat on her bed, and he fell with her, his head crashing into her pillow, hers somewhere below it. She squirmed and twisted under his touch, giggling like a little girl, her eyes squeezed shut and her face turning red. Leo had to smile himself as her short little legs kicked at the air and her blankets.

"My dad's gonna hear us," she gasped, and Leo stopped tickling her. They both lay out for a minute, catching their breaths, then Leo's eyes fell on a picture on her nightstand next to her bed. He reached over her and picked it up, sitting up as he did so. She sat up too.

"That's us, about three years ago. That's Helen, that's Chase, me, and David."

Because they were younger, all four kids had hair that was varying shades of blonde. Both Helen and David had a light, almost white color of blonde, but A.J.'s had the beginnings of her flame red, and Chase's was beginning to turn brown. His eyes were brown as well, while Helen's and David's were a pale, ice blue. They all had their arms around each other, smiling as big as they possibly could.

"I think that was one of the few pictures we have where both boys actually smiled. You know, Chase was twelve and David was thirteen, so they were at that age where boys don't smile for _anything._"

She looked down at her lap, her eyes sad again.

"Your sister Helen's very pretty," he said, his eyes still on the picture.

"She's a knockout," she replied. "She looks even better now, because she's all grown up and she doesn't have an acne problem anymore."

"She can't be prettier than you," he said, turning to her, then he saw the look in her eyes. "What's wrong? Did I say something?"

"No," she said quickly, shaking her head and smiling. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about Chase, that's all. I really miss him."

She took the picture away from him and set it back on the nightstand.

"I wish my family could be like yours. You guys get along, and you don't blame each other for everything."

"We have our problems," said Leo, stretching out onto his stomach.

"You're thinking about Raf," she said, stretching out next to him, pressing her side into his. He nodded.

"There's so much I want to tell him, but I know he wouldn't believe me if I did."

"Like what?"

"Like…how it hurts me to see him like this, and how I wish he would tell me what's wrong, and how much…" he swallowed, choking on the words caught in his throat. "How much he means to me: how much I love him."

Hot tears burned his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He was too old to cry, and she would probably laugh at him if she saw. He turned away, trying to hold them back.

She propped her chin up with one hand and put her arm around his neck, rubbing his shoulder with her hand.

"It's okay," she whispered, rolling over onto her side. "You can cry in front of me."

He sniffed, and tried to pull himself together.

"I should be stronger than this."

"It's the strongest who cry the most," she said. "Come on. Drop the tough guy act. Your brothers may make fun of you, but I won't. And I won't tell anyone about it. Nothing that happens here tonight will leave my room, I promise." She sat up on her knees and pulled his head to her chest. "Come on. You held me, now it's my turn to hold you."

Leo closed his eyes, letting the tears run down his face. He put his arm around her waist and pressed his cheek against the soft pillow of her breasts, listening to the sound of her heartbeat in his ear. Though the pain inside him was great, he tried not to sob, tried to retain at least a little self-control. He could feel her small hands caressing his shell, and he lifted his own to rub her arm. Her skin was cool and smooth beneath his palm, and as the feelings of sadness subsided, another took their place: a strange, hot sort of longing that he had felt before, on that rooftop when he'd first heard her sing, as well as on many nights afterwards when all he could think about was her. But what was it? What was this feeling that he could not identify, but seemed to feel only for her?

At last, there were no more tears to cry.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do," he said, sitting up and wiping his eyes. "I want to help him but…"

"You can't help those who don't want to be helped," she said softly. "If Raf doesn't want your help, then there's nothing you can do. Like I said, give it time. He'll realize his mistake soon enough. One day, he'll figure out just how much you love him, and how important he really is to you. He'll understand, you'll see."

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. It was no peck, either. She held for a long time, long enough for the feel of her lips to burn themselves into his memory forever. When she finally did draw back, he could still feel them there, his skin tingling as though he'd been shocked.

He stared at her, and she gave him a shy smile. Why he didn't smack her on the lips then and there he would never know. Instead, he pulled her small body into a gentle hug, holding her as softly as he possibly could. She hugged back, only her grip was much tighter than his.

"You always handle me so gently," she said when she pulled away, but she didn't leave his arms.

"I'm scared I'm going to break you," he confessed. "I don't know the first thing about handling girls."

"You won't break me; I'm not a doll."

"I know, but you're so small, and I'm a lot stronger than you are. I'm scared I'll hurt you."

She smiled, and snuggled close to him again.

"You could never hurt me," she said, sliding her arms under his so she could grip his shoulders. "Your strength makes me feel safe, and that's a feeling that, unfortunately, I am a stranger to."

He wrapped his arms around her and leaned close, inhaling the scent of her hair.

"How do you like it so far?"

"I love it. It feels great."

"Well then, on my honor, I vow to familiarize you to this feeling, and I will see to it that it is no longer a stranger to you."

"Hmmm, thanks Leo."

They lay down on the pillow together and spent the night with their faces inches apart, staring into each other's eyes and whispering and giggling about things only young love can understand, secrets unknown to the rest of the world outside.

**Now that we're more than halfway through the story, I think now is a good time to sit back and hear your predictions. What do you all think is going to happen? What questions might you have thus far? Do let me know...**

* * *


	9. Chapter 9: Root Beer Floats and a Kiss

**For Kiko Kamia: The Shredder's an alien? Really? Totally didn't see that one coming! Guess that's what happens when you grow up without a television. Well, that makes me feel about a thousand times better! Thanks so much for that little tidbit. **

**Yay! A review from Gothchick 101! I was afraid you'd died or were suddenly refusing to continue reading. You were my first reviewer, and your opinion really means a lot to me. Thanks!**

**So, now I'm done buttering up my fans...uh...I don't own the TMNT, just A.J. and the plot.  
**

The second time he went to see her, he brought her home to see his brothers.

"Hey guys!" he yelled as they descended the stairs. "Guess who I brought back?"

"**_A.J.!_**" yelled Mikey, bounding from his spot in front of the TV to grab her up in a big hug. She put down the bag she had been carrying and ran to meet him, giving a cry of surprise and delight as he swept her off her feet and swung her around. Donny was no less enthusiastic when it was his turn either, eagerly rising from the easy chair he had been sitting in to embrace her.

"Hey, how are you doing?" he asked as he let go.

"I'm fine," she answered, brushing her hair out of her face. "I'm doing great."

_"Whoa!"_

Everyone turned to Mikey, confused by his sudden outburst.

"What?" she asked, noticing that he was looking at her.

"I guess I'm just not used to seeing you in normal clothes," he said, blue eyes wide. "You look _great,_ babe!"

She smiled, and blushed.

"Well, our school uniforms aren't exactly flattering."

She really did look great in her tight, dark blue jeans and a white, long-sleeved shirt that clung to the curves of her body. She was wearing a pair of small silver hoops in her ears, and a pretty silver necklace to match hung around her neck. Leo also noticed that she had painted her fingernails the same, iridescent color that he had seen on her toenails: the purple that changed from blue to green with the light.

Mikey grinned at his brother.

"Sorry, bro. But I had to say it."

Leo waved his hand.

"It's okay." To A.J., he said, "Don't mind Mikey. He's just pointing out the obvious."

"Well, at least _someone_ noticed," she said with mock exasperation. Both Leo and Donny looked sheepish. They had all been thinking it, of course, but Mikey had been the first one to say it. Probably because he wasn't as shy as the others.

She looked around the lair.

"Where's Raf?"

Donny and Mikey sighed, and rolled their eyes.

"Out," said Donny.

"Again," Mikey added. "He left shortly after you went to get her, Leo."

For a moment, her face fell, but she tried to smile anyway.

"Oh, I hope I didn't scare him away."

All three of them shook their heads.

"It's got nothing to do with you," said Leo. "He just…"

"Does this," Donny finished for him.

"Oh." Her face brightened. "Well anyway, I have something for you. A sort of thank-you present for saving my life."

She went over to the bag that she had been carrying. When she pulled out its contents, Mikey's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Whoa, no way! Oh, thanks so much babe, I've been dying to get one of these!"

It was a Wii, supposedly the latest in video game technology. Mikey took the box from her, holding it with as much ease as she'd had difficulty. With that out of her hands, she dove into the bag and surfaced again, holding out three cases.

"I wasn't sure which ones you'd like, but I got these for you as well."

She held the games up for them to see, but they didn't recognize them. Mikey grinned anyway, and dashed back to the TV.

"Donny, help me set this up! You rock, A.J.; this is so awesome!"

She smiled as she handed Donny the game cases.

"You're welcome," she said. She looked at Leo, and put her arm around his shell. "He's just like a kid."

Leo also smiled fondly at his brother, who was now trying to untangle the wires and making a bigger mess than he'd started out with.

"You didn't have to do this, you know," he said to her as Donny began to untangle Mikey from the wires.

"I know. But I wanted to. I mean, you did save my life, and I would be horribly rude not to reward you in some way."

"Seeing you walk away alive is enough of a reward for us."

"Yes I understand that, but still, I felt like I needed do something for you, so there you go."

"It must have cost you a fortune."

She shrugged.

"Well, I need to get a job anyway."

"You really didn't have to…"

"Oh stop it, already," she said, lightly slapping his arm. "You like to see them happy just as much as I do. More probably, because they're your brothers."

"Hey, you dudes wanna play too?" asked Mikey, now free from the wires, breaking their conversation.

"No thanks, Mikey," she answered. "I never was much of a video game person. We'll just watch."

* * *

Later that evening, after he had taken A.J. back home, Leo was practicing with his katanas in the dojo when a soft knock interrupted him.

"Yes? Come in," he said. The door slid back, and Master Splinter entered. He bowed. "Master?"

"I was watching you with A.J. tonight, my son, and I think it is time you have your own room."

"My own room? But why?"

"It is natural to want a little privacy when you are involved with someone," said the old rat. "And I think you are ready to have your own space now. As a leader, it is important to have some time by yourself, to think, and to clear your mind. And, no doubt, you and A.J. will want to spend time together here, without your brothers interfering. Tomorrow, I think, we will clear out one of the spare rooms in the back for you. If you have no objections," he added quickly, realizing that he had not given Leo a chance to answer him.

"No, Master," said Leo. True, it would be nice to be able to be with A.J. without fear of her father walking in on them, and without having his brothers get in the way, and it would be very nice to get away from Mikey's snoring, as well as Raf's restless movements, even though he was the furthest away. It might be lonely, but Leo would have to accept it. They were growing up, there was no denying that. They weren't kids anymore, and they needed their own space.

"Good," said Master Splinter, turning to leave. He got about halfway around, then he stopped. "And Leonardo?"

"Yes, Master?"

"If you have any questions, about anything at all, please do not hesitate to ask me."

"Yes, _sensei_. And thank you."

* * *

Over the next couple of months, life fell into a busy routine of everyday adventures. On the nights they weren't out patrolling the streets, they were inside training, playing video games or hanging out with A.J., who now had begun to fall in line as part of the family. She got a job as a courtesy clerk in a supermarket a few blocks from her school, and often, when her shift was over at eight, the boys came to pick her up and take her back to chill for a few hours before she had to go home. During these times, she and Leo would run off to his new room together, talking for hours about everything, or nothing, Donny would help her with her homework if she had any, or Mikey would make her sing for them. Since the rest of them had discovered her voice, they would pester her into singing for them until she finally gave in, or threw her pencil at them, even if she had horrible aim. Also, Leo taught her a few basic techniques in self-defense, to ensure that she would never be taken advantage of again, at least not without a fight. He taught her the proper way to use her arms to break her falls, and how to roll over her shoulder to avoid breaking her neck when she was flipped over. He discovered that, while she was sweet and innocent off of the dojo floor, on it she was as feisty as a weasel, absolutely refusing to give up, even when he managed to trap her somehow with no hope of getting out, often hurting herself in the process of her mad struggling. There were plenty of bruises, pinched nerves and strained muscles involved in these lessons, something she didn't seem to mind, and waved Leo off when he tried to apologize.

"Trust me: this is nothing compared to what I've gone through," she said as Donny held a pack of ice against her shoulder after one particularly nasty tumble she'd taken.

"I'm sorry," he said anyway. "I was trying to go easy on you…"

She scoffed.

"Do you think those bastards who raped me cared about going easy on me, just because I'm a girl?"

But it was because he wasn't like those bastards that he went easy on her. Truth be told, he was really afraid to work with her like this, because no matter how careful he was, he managed to hurt her all the same. She insisted it was her own stupid stubbornness that got her hurt, but he knew she was just trying to make him feel better. Unlike many girls he saw on TV, who cried when they broke a nail, she took her hits, shrugging them off like they were nothing, and he guessed it may have had something to do with what had happened to her. She even took to wrestling with the boys, and though Leo and Donny beat her all the time, Mikey let her win, often rolling over and pretending to plead for mercy when she tried to pin him down, though he could have easily thrown her off. This play-fighting was generally harmless and all in good fun, but there was one incident when it got scary.

Leo and Donny were sitting on the couch, watching Mikey and A.J. rolling around on the ground in front of the TV, engaging in another wrestling match. She had managed to pin him down with her hands planted firmly on his shoulders, using her legs to hold herself on the ground, and he was wailing in defeat. Raf had been out, and right at that moment he returned to the lair. Leo and Donny heard him, but Mikey and A.J. were occupied with what they were doing, and paid no attention. He looked a little tired, but otherwise in somewhat of a good mood, and eager to join the fun. He placed his finger to his lips, indicating to Leo and Donny that they be quiet as he crept up on Mikey's "attacker." His ninja skills served him well; A.J. never heard him coming until he yelled, "I'll save ya, bro! Gotcha!"

He grabbed A.J., pinning her arms to her sides and crushing her back against his chest. She let out a scream, a genuine scream of terror, and the boys, who had started to laugh, immediately fell silent. Held about six inches off the ground with her hands pinned and her legs kicking uselessly at the air, she turned to the only weapon she had left, and sank her teeth into Raf's hand.

He roared in pain and released her, stumbling backward, not sure whether to be shocked, angry, or hurt.

_"Yow!"_ he bellowed, shaking his bitten hand. They could see deep marks in his skin where her teeth had been, and while she may have bitten hard enough draw blood on a human's hand, their skin was thicker, and harder to break. He stared, first from the wounds, then to their cause. He had a bit of a smile on his face, not really sure if she had meant to hurt him or not, and whether he should laugh, or apologize.

"Ain't you feisty?" he said.

But it was no laughing matter. A.J was standing curled in on herself, her hands tucked under her chin, her arms covering her breasts, looking pale and scared. Her eyes were as wide as a frightened rabbit's, and she had a horrified look on her face. Of all the boys, she was the most afraid of Raf, and now she thought that she had pissed him off, and he was going to pound her, girl or not, even with his brothers in the room.

But he didn't. He was too astonished that she could snap so quickly.

"I'm s-s-sorry," she whimpered, to terrified for tears. "You scared me. I didn't mean to overreact. I just…I don't like…"

"Forget it," he muttered, regaining his composure, aware that everyone was staring at him, and he didn't like appearing surprised or without a scowl on his face. He jumped up to the upper levels to brood, leaving a very strained group behind him.

With Raf's departure, three heads turned to stare at their little human friend, who was trying to shrink in on herself.

"I don't like people sneaking up on me, or grabbing me from behind. It reminds me too much of…"

Leo was already on his way to her side, and when her knees gave out, he was close enough to catch her almost immediately. He picked her up and carried her to the couch, where he sat down with her in his lap. Mikey and Donny moved from their places so they could help their brother comfort her. Under their reassuring hands, they could feel her entire body trembling.

"I just reacted," she tried to explain. "I didn't even think. I was just…suddenly so scared. It was like…"

Leo shushed her, folding her into his arms as Donny scratched lightly at her back with his fingertips. Mikey, from his position on the floor, rubbed her shin, not really sure of what else to do, or if it helped at all. Still it was the best he could do.

Glad to be quiet, she leaned against Leo's shoulder, feeling like crying but the tears wouldn't come. She was sure Raf hated her now. He had always shown her a little more than dislike, but she was willing to bet that was the straw that broke his back. What was it about her that made him hate her so? Was it because she was dating his brother, and that just gave him one more reason to hate him?

"He'll get over it," said Donny. "You didn't really hurt him that badly. I think you mostly just surprised him, and he doesn't like to get caught off guard like that."

After a while they got her settled down, and no one saw Raf for the rest of the night. They all had learned a valuable lesson than night, and after that, they knew not to come up behind her, and to make their presence known if they did. For a while, they were afraid she might not want to come back, but she did. Talking with her on the phone, they discovered that she was just as cheerful as she had ever been, as if it had never happened.

"I think it's a redhead thing," she told Leo when he asked her about it. "Our ability to bounce back is incredible."

Certainly was. She should have been a nervous wreck after all she had been through, but the only mental scars she had were a fear of the dark and a sensitivity to being crept up upon.

Other than that, she may as well have been normal.

* * *

One night, after almost two weeks without a break, Leo strapped his swords to his back as usual. They'd gotten into a rather nasty scuffle with an extravagant gang network, and it had taken them forever to finally track down the supposed "top dog," and turn him over to the police. It had been a trying experience for all of them, nothing like what they had been through with the Shredder, but still not pleasant. After a full day's rest and even a couple hours over his usual wake-up time, he'd called A.J., explained the situation to her, and agreed to go out. What they were going to do, he wasn't sure, but they usually decided when they met. Leaving his new room, he headed towards the exit.

"Bye guys," he said to his brothers, who were all stretched out in front of the television, watching some cheesy horror movie with really bad special effects. "I'm going to see A.J."

"'K," said Mikey.

"Whatever," Raf grumbled.

"Hey Leo, before you go," said Donny, getting up from his chair. "Let me make a suggestion. I'm not telling you how to run your love life, but don't you think you ought to take her out on an actual date instead of all this laying around doing nothing? I mean, sure it's nice to just spend some time together, but that's bound to get boring soon. Why don't you spice things up a little bit and take her somewhere?"

Leo laughed. His brother was no doubt a genius, but he could be really stupid sometimes.

"You know, that would be a great idea if I was human. But, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not. There's not very many places a giant mutant turtle can take his girlfriend out for a romantic bite."

As he turned to go, Donny's voice stopped him again.

"You do have one advantage the human population doesn't."

He turned back around to face his brother, who was grinning widely.

"What's that, Donny?"

* * *

"I'm going out, Dad!"

"Where?"

"For a walk."

"It's too dark to walk."

"I don't care."

"Are you seeing someone?"

"No."

"Is it your boyfriend?"

"Bye, Dad."

A.J. closed the front door behind her, rolling her eyes. Everything her father had said was true of course, but was she going to tell him that? Hell no. Not only would he be mad she had a boyfriend in the first place, but when he saw it was Leo, it would be just like a Frankenstein monster movie, except real. Torches, pitchforks, the whole nine yards. And, knowing her father, he might probably go so far as to blame the entire Orphan Train business on him, call him a monster, and not rest until his head was in a trash bin. She shuddered at the thought, then shook her head. Her Leo was way too smart to wind up with his head in a trash bin. She couldn't see him being so stupid as to get himself killed by a bunch of jealous men who thought he had raped and killed their daughters.

She frowned into the darkness, then laughed out loud. That would be just like her father. The thing was, she couldn't see Leo raping anybody. Sure he was a little different; okay, a _lot_ different, but she could she her own father raping her before her strange boyfriend.

Now _that_ was sad. But, as she actually had been taken advantage of, she considered herself an adequate judge on the matter.

She shivered, and drew her coat tighter around herself. In the new autumn the temperatures at night fell rapidly, and one had to wrap up properly to avoid chills. A.J. had never liked the cold, and more often than not she wore long-sleeved shirts, gloves, and a sweatshirt. Tonight though, she wore her nice coat, leftover from her younger days when she had been a little bit of a tomboy. The thing was black, with huge silver buttons and it came down to her ankles, but it was the nicest coat she owned. Plus, it kept her warm, especially for what she was wearing tonight: a beautiful, but thin blue-green shirt that matched her eyes and once again, hugged every curve of her body, and a knee-length black skirt made of silk and ruffles. She hoped he liked it; it did look a little ridiculous. Black stockings and her school shoes, the only heels she owned, completed her getup, while a black choker necklace and chandelier earrings to match did for jewelry. Her phone was stowed safely in one of the pockets of her coat, just in case.

She waited for Leo out in the front yard, because she was so sick of listening to her father, mother and brother fight.

A few minutes later, she saw him land on the roof of her townhouse and head for her window, preparing to knock on it. She put her hands to her mouth and called, "Hey, Leo! I'm over here!"

He turned and looked around for a minute before he found her. When he jumped off the roof and landed in front of her, she felt the ground tremble a little bit. She giggled.

"Heavens. Don't hurt yourself."

He shrugged.

"I've jumped worse. That was nothing."

She just smiled, rolling her eyes, and stepped forward, sliding her hand into his. He jumped, then closed his fingers around it.

"Your hands are cold," he observed.

"I have bad circulation," she said. "My hands and feet are always cold."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"Oh. I never noticed. Well, come on."

He switched her hand to his other one, and put his arm around her waist, preparing to take her up to the rooftops. Though it was fun, A.J. had something different in mind, and after she had gone to all this trouble to look pretty, she really didn't want to get all messed up.

"Can we just walk for a little while? Just for a little bit?"

He frowned at her.

"And risk being seen?"

"We won't be. I know somewhere we can be alone."

That appealed to him. He raised an eyeridge and gave her a half smile.

"What did you have in mind?"

* * *

There was a smallish sort of park a few blocks from her neighborhood. It was nice, rather dark, and very, very quiet, where they could talk in low voices and not have to yell over the traffic. They circled around it a few times, holding hands and talking. About what is not important, nor will it ever be known. The secrets Leo and his A.J. shared together were not meant to be discussed by any third party, and only the moon and the trees surrounding them know the words that were spoken that night.

Eventually, A.J. was struck by a sudden craving for a root beer float, even though it was too cold for ice cream, and she asked Leo if he wanted one.

"I've never had one," he said truthfully. She stared at him, half in disbelief, half in shock.

"You're never had one before?"

He shook his head.

"Never."

"You're seventeen years old, almost eighteen, and you're never had a root beer float? Never?"

"I take it I'm really missing something here."

"Uh, yeah! You can't go through life without trying it at least once. Come on." She tugged on his hand. "I'll get you one."

"Okay, but…"

She waved her hand.

"I know, I know, don't worry. I'll buy them, and you stay hidden. Relax, it'll be fine."

As usual, he couldn't refuse her anything. Plus, she wasn't going to make him follow her, and he was rather eager to try a combination of ice cream and soda. Maybe it would be as sweet as she was. And afterwards, he would take her to the place only he could take her. No human alive could do this, at least no human boy she was likely to meet, and it was going to just blow her mind.

* * *

They stood at the very top of an extremely high apartment complex near the edge of town, one of those fancy new ones that stood higher than some of the skyscrapers downtown. With two Styrofoam cups clutched in her hands, A.J. had her eyes closed, the wind whipping her hair around her neck. Leo stood behind her, and even though they were a good six or seven feet from the edge, he had both hands on her hips, just in case she freaked out and lost her balance when she opened her eyes. Being this close to her, holding her so intimately, and having her trust him…Leo couldn't describe it. He had never felt so good before.

"Okay," he said in her ear, having to bend over a considerable distance to do so. "Open your eyes."

She gasped as the whole of New York City stretched out before her, lights glittering blue, red, green, yellow and white.

"Oh Leo! It's beautiful!"

"Isn't it? This is what my brothers and I get to see every night we go out."

"Really? Oh, you're so lucky!" She leaned against him, and he put his arms around her. "This is so awesome. Thank you."

They held for a minute, then, feeling a little beaten up by the wind, decided to sit down and drink their sodas.

"This one's yours," she said, after a moment's consideration. "I like mine with chocolate syrup." She dug two spoons out of her coat pocket. "The ice cream's probably melted a little by now. Here." She handed one to Leo. "Stir it up."

She took the lid off her own cup, stuck the spoon inside it, and stirred it around. Leo copied her, putting the lid back on when she did. She noticed, and smiled.

"There's no particular way to eat these things, you know."

To hide his embarrassment, he stuck the straw into his mouth.

"Hey, these are good."

She grinned, her straw between her teeth.

"Told you. You're really missing out."

"I was. You'll have to make these for my brothers sometimes. They'll love it."

Her eyes widened as she took the straw out of her mouth.

"You mean your brothers have never had them either?"

He shook his head.

"We used to hear about them on TV and stuff, and we always wanted to try them out, but I guess we never really around to it. Things just kept coming up."

"Oh, you poor, deprived turtles. Well, one day, I'll bring you guys the fixings and we'll have an all-out sugar party."

"Ooh, that's bound to get scary."

"Really? Why?"

He looked at her seriously.

"You've never seen Mikey hyped up on sugar."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, that would be scary."

"It is."

He stuck the straw into his mouth, drawing out some more soda. It was a beautiful night. They sky was completely cloudless, the few visible stars in clear view. They had all of New York City at their feet, each other at their sides, and sweet treats in their hands. It was a perfect night for lovers, two kids who were a part of the world below them, yet strangers to it.

What could make it better?

"You look really nice tonight," he said, realizing that he had had not yet told her.

"Really? You think? 'Cause I think my skirt looks a little silly."

"No, I like it. It's beautiful, just like you."

She blushed fiercely, and he moved closer to her. She took a gulp of her soda, staring down at her knees. They fell silent for a while, enjoying the clean smell of the air, far above the pollution of the city. She cupped her hands around her cup, drinking, her eyes thoughtful, then she took the straw out of her mouth, moved closer to him and said softly, "Leo?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you love me?"

At last. One of them had been bound to say it, and he was glad it hadn't him. Maybe now was the time to tell her something that had been nagging at his mind lately. She had a right to know; they had been going out long enough. He just hoped she didn't get the wrong idea.

"Well, in order for me to answer that question, I have a confession to make," he said, smiling to lighten the mood.

"Ooh, a confession!" she squealed, scooting even closer. "Tell me!"

He was silent for a moment, getting his thoughts in order and deciding what was the best way to begin the story. The beginning was usually the best place to start, but finding the right words was going to be difficult.

"It was a little over a year ago, maybe even a year and a half, now that I think about it. I think it might have been early May, because it was before I left for training. My brothers and I were out, back when fighting crime was all fun and games. I landed on some sort of stadium, like for baseball, but without the baseball field. I got curious, because I could hear music. I looked down, and I saw you. I know it was you, because no one else in the world has hair like yours." He reached up and curled his finger into a lock of it. "You were on stage singing, and I couldn't take my eyes, or ears for that matter, away from you. Not only were you so gorgeous and so captivating, but your voice was unlike anything I've ever heard before, and trust me, I've heard a lot of things."

Her eyebrows had been twisted together as he had been telling his story, trying to remember the said occasion, then suddenly her eyes lit up and she gasped.

"Oh yeah! I remember that night! Yeah, that was my school's end-of-year/ summer kickoff talent show. Wow, you were there? You saw me?"

He nodded.

"That song you were singing; you were asking for a hero. Someone strong and sure and…is this right…larger than life?"

"_Holding Out for a Hero_, by Bonnie Tyler. That's the name of it. Hey, now that I think about it…okay, this is going to sound really, really corny, but I think I felt you there. I mean, I didn't know it was you, because I didn't see you, but I felt _something_ there. That's kind of creepy, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. That song, and you, have been on my mind ever since. I just couldn't get you out of my head, even through my training."

Concern flickered across her face.

"Oh, no. I hope I didn't cause you to lose your focus."

"No. A true ninja doesn't allow himself get distracted like that. You had nothing to do with it. But to answer your question, yes, I do love you. I have loved you from the moment I first saw you that night at your talent show. Why do you think I saved you? I mean," he corrected himself quickly, realizing what he had just said. "I wouldn't have left you there if I hadn't recognized you, but… that didn't come out right."

But she was smiling, and taking his hand in hers.

"I know. It was just one more reason to pick me up and take me home, right?"

"Well, yeah…but…"

"What?"

"I can't help thinking…in light of what's happened to you…" he paused, not really sure how to say this. "If I had gone up to you that night and…I don't know…told you how I felt: told you I wanted to be your hero, then maybe…maybe…this whole Orphan Train stuff wouldn't have happened. If I had come up to you sooner, maybe things could have turned out differently."

"There you go, blaming yourself for everything again."

"First rule of leadership: Everything is your fault," he said, smiling. She rolled her eyes.

"Leo," She put her soda cup down, and clasped both her hands around the one she was already holding. "Look at me. Even if you had promised to be my hero that night, you wouldn't have prevented what was going to happen. I was kidnapped while you were in Central America, so there was nothing you could have done to protect me, no matter what happened."

He turned away. He couldn't bear to hear her say these words. But she refused to let go of his hand. Her own were cold, but they were so close together, and he found himself turning back, staring at her lips, mesmerized by the way they moved when she spoke.

"But you still saved me. Even if you couldn't prevent my capture, you still found me, took me back to the lair, and nursed me back to health. You carried me when I couldn't walk, saw that I had food to eat and gave up your bed for me. You _are_ my hero Leo, whether you realize it or not. Because of you, I'm alive and sitting here today. But most importantly, you taught me how to love again."

He stared at her, afraid to believe his ears.

"I…what?"

"I haven't really loved anyone since my girlfriend died. But you changed that. You make me feel like I'm someone special, and because of that, my life is yours. Forever."

There she went with that I-owe-you business again.

"No, please don't start that again."

"It's already started."

"We've been through all this before; you owe me nothing."

"I love you!" The words struck him dumb. "And when you're in love, you're willing to give up everything you have for the other person." She moved even closer, and their legs touched. He could feel the heat radiating from her body: felt his own catch fire. He longed to pull her to him, hold her fragile frame against him, and never let her go.

"If you really love me," she was saying. "You'll take what I'm offering you. You say you love me, now prove it."

Leo put his cup down, the soda completely forgotten. He wrapped his hand around his other, and hers.

"If you offer me your life and your love, then I accept with all my heart, and on my honor, I swear to protect that life. I'll never let anything happen to you, not as long as I can defend you. I'll keep you safe, as long as I draw breath." He brought their entwined hands up to his lips, kissing her fingers, inhaling the scent of her skin. "If you are mine, then I am yours, if you'll have me."

She closed her eyes, letting his words warm her better than the coat she was wearing. When she opened them again and looked at him, he could see they were shining, sparkling with happiness. He felt his heart skip a beat, then throb so hard it was almost painful. God, could this really be happening?

"Leo?"

"Yes?"

"You can kiss me now, if you want."

His hear picked up the pace yet again, beating so fast and hard he was sure it was going to come out of his mouth at any moment. Her eyes met his, so shy, so innocent, yet so full of trust. Nothing would please him more than to grant her request, and he wanted to do nothing else but that. He released her hands, sliding his up her neck as he slowly closed the distance between them. After all, it was their first kiss, his first ever, and he wanted to savor it, remembering every little detail.

Her lips were cold at first, but as soon as they touched the heat began to rise. He had to admit, he'd dreamed of this moment for a long time, but kissing her in real life was so much different that he could have ever imagined. Her lips, her hair, her skin, everything about her was so soft, so fragile, unlike anything he had ever felt before in his life. How he had gone so long without her he would never know, and now that he had her, he didn't think he could survive without her. He willed himself to get lost in her kiss; forget the whole calm and collected ninja master thing. It felt good to lose control once in a while.

And there was surely no better way to lose control than this.

The wet tip of her tongue touched his lips, catching him off guard. He hadn't known people kissed like this. His first reaction was to jerk back in surprise, but something held him still: a part of him that he didn't recognize, but told him this was how it was done, and to stay. As her arms slid around his neck, he pulled her closer, until the length of her warm body was pressed to his, copying her. Her lips were sweet with the ice cream, and the inside of her mouth tasted like chocolate. She made a soft noise in her throat, and he hesitated, unsure of what that meant, but she didn't break the kiss, so he guessed that she didn't want him to stop. He deepened the kiss, the very touch of her lips sending fire through his body.

After what seemed an eternity, she pulled away, breathless.

"Oh, my God," she gasped. "I've never been kissed like that before!"

"Like what?" he asked, suddenly worried he had done something wrong.

"With such intensity, such passion! I've been kissed before, but the other boys I went out with didn't really seem to want to. I…I can't describe it, but it was like they really didn't care about what they were doing, or the person they were kissing. Like they were just doing it because that's what lovers do. But you, Leo. You're different."

He smiled. Really? Him: a freak of nature, not even human, with no experience in this field whatsoever, had managed to redefine kissing for his girlfriend? Surely a thing like this was unheard of.

"What about your girlfriend?" he asked. She hadn't mentioned her.

A.J.'s face looked a little remorseful.

"I never kissed her. I mean, I did, but it was just a peck on the cheek or the lips. Nothing like what you and I were just doing. Come on, we were fifteen years old; we didn't know any better."

He couldn't help smiling. Now he understood what people meant when they said they felt like they were flying. Nothing in the world could bring him down now, not while they were together, wrapped in each other's arms, staring into each other's eyes. He felt like he was going to explode, so great was his happiness.

And from the looks of things, A.J. was feeling the same way. Her tiny frame looked as though it couldn't contain so much pleasure and joy, and she had to let it out somehow. She squealed as he tickled her, squirming against him until they were entwined again in a passionate embrace, their mouths fused together so perfectly as if they had been born simply for this moment.

Their root beer floats sat beside them, entirely forgotten.

**I love this chapter. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Poor Raf though. Everything just blows up in his face, doesn't it?  
**

**Okay, maybe four teenagers stuck down in the sewers for eighteen years with no connection to the outside world but a television would have tried root beer floats eventually, but I think it adds a nice touch to the story. **

**I hope A.J.'s not turning into too much of a Marysue. What do you guys think?  
**

* * *


	10. Chapter 10: What is this Feeling?

**Now things start getting tense...**

If he'd thought that nothing in the world could break his euphoria, he was wrong.

Dead wrong.

As he burst into the lair on light feet, he found all three of his brothers exactly where he'd left them: in front of the television, but they didn't look disinterested or bored out of their minds. They were all leaning forward, their eyes fixed on the screen, Donny paying special attention, Raf ponderous, and Mikey pale.

Without a single question, he crossed the room to see what they were so consumed with. All he could gather from the television reporter was a garbled bunch of gibberish, so when Donny switched off the TV, he crossed his arms over his chest as his brothers turned to look at him, realizing that he was there because of his reflection in the blank screen.

"What's going on, guys?"

If he had been human, you could say Donny looked a little green around the gills. But, as he wasn't human, and he was already green, that witty expression was absolutely worthless. But he didn't look good.

"Two other girls have been found," he said hoarsely.

* * *

"Their bodies were discovered here," said the purple-masked turtle, pointing at two different locations on a map of New York City he had pinned to the wall of his lab. "And here. The first was found about a week ago, in between a couple of dumpsters, and the second was just last night. Once again, signs of sexual assault, starvation, and physical abuse. Cause of death: gunshots in the shoulder." 

"I feel like I'm on an episode of CSI," said Mikey, shuddering. Seeing his brother upset, Leo put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Mikey. Calm down."

He could feel the muscles of his shoulder quivering under his palm, even as he said this. Mikey had always been the least brave of the four of them, but he didn't think he had ever seen him this genuinely chilled before. He didn't blame him. Even the Shredder hadn't been this bad. Maybe he would have been, if he hadn't been crushed by an overturned semi truck first, but at least his plans to control the world hadn't been put into effect. This was much different. This was an operation that was already under way, and if something didn't happen soon, every woman in New York City was going to get nabbed off the streets, no matter how old she was or her race or ethnicity, only to turn up dead about three months later, starved and beaten almost beyond the point of recognition.

"She's so lucky she survived," he said softly, and no one asked who he was talking about.

"Dudes," said Mikey. "What if the guys who are doing this figure out that she's alive? What if they come for her and…" he gulped. "…finish the job?"

They looked at each other, and they could tell that the thought hadn't even crossed any of their minds until now. And now that they thought about it, it was a danger that was as real as the shells on their backs. If indeed, those responsible for the Orphan Train got suspicious because her death wasn't being reported on the news, then A.J. could be in serious danger. Leo felt the balloon of happiness that had been welling up inside him deflate rapidly, and be replaced by a deep ache of fear, while a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Still, he tried to get a grip on himself.

"What else was in the story? Anything about receiving information from an inside source, or a police report?"

Donny shook his head.

"The cops working on this case are smart. Whatever A.J. told them, they're keeping secret. There also wasn't anything about her, either."

Mikey and Leo let out a small sigh of relief.

"So she's safe."

"For now," said Raf, his eyes dark with worry. "But I think we oughta keep an eye on her, just in case."

"I think that's the first time I've ever seen you care about someone other than yourself, Raf," said Leo coolly.

Raf started, and a slight blush crept into his cheeks.

"Don't want nothin' to happen to her," he said hotly. "And you should be doin' the same thing, at least until we shut these guys down."

Though he hated to admit it, it was a good idea, and definitely one of the precautions they should be taking. But Raf's words had wounded his pride, and that was a crime he wasn't going to forgive easily.

"I bet these guys don't know anything about her still being alive. I'm sure she's fine," he said. "But if it'll make you feel better, I'll warn her, just to put her on her guard. She's not stupid, and if she's on the alert, she won't let herself get caught that easily. So, Donny, how are we doing on the face matches?"

* * *

In the time that he had been seeing A.J., Leo had been wrestling with some feelings. Feelings that he didn't understand, nor could he identify. He had debated asking his brothers, or maybe Master Splinter about it, but decided against both. First, his brothers would probably laugh at him, and he was afraid of what Master Splinter would say if he told him. So he kept these feelings to himself, unsure of what they meant, or what would come of them. 

But they were enough to drive even him crazy. Every time they were together, especially when they kissed, heat flooded through his body, through his veins like blood. He got a strange tightening somewhere deep in his belly, an ache in his chest that he couldn't explain, and it made him want her all the more. It was especially bad when he was alone, without her and without anyone to see him, because it made him toss and turn in his bed, driving sleep from his eyes, the pain in his heart all but unbearable. Meditation usually helped, but the relief was only temporary, and soon, it was starting all over again.

Early one morning, when he should have been resting, he decided he'd had enough. He had to get a handle on the situation, before it got out of control and made him do something he would regret. What it might make him do, he had no idea, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be good for either one of them.

He decided he would look at this logically. First, he would describe how he felt, get it out so he could actually see it, and then maybe it would be easier to think about it and come up with an answer.

He got out of his bed, went to the desk in his room and turned on the lamp, lighting a few candles as well, once he'd located the matches. He opened his desk drawer, and pulled out the notebook and pencil he used when Master Splinter gave them their lessons. Aside from being their ninja instructor, he was also their teacher, giving them a few basic lessons in history, mathematics, grammar, and sciences. These had gradually faded out when their training began, but some things were hard to forget. Leo got his thoughts in order, licked the end of his pencil, and began to write…

* * *

An hour or so later, he stared at the lines he had written, making some revisions here and there, then he set the pencil down. He had written it down to a nub, and his hand hurt. As he shook it out, relaxing the muscles, he took a deep breath. When he let it out, he found he was feeling much calmer than he had for a while. He was also feeling very tired, having stayed up several hours past his normal bedtime. He turned off his lamp, blew out the candles, and lay down on his bed, pulling the sheets up to his chin, feeling himself drift away, bit by bit. The writing had helped him let off some steam, and now that it was out of his head, if for only a little while, he could sleep, undisturbed by strange feelings that were out of his control. In a few minutes, he was deep in a dark and dreamless sleep.

* * *

A.J. flopped onto Leo's bed as soon as she entered the room, glad to at last be off her feet. Running around school from class to class, and then running around the store where she worked without a single moment to sit down was doing murder to her feet, because she had spent the entire day in her high-heeled school shoes. One would think that a Catholic private school would disapprove of such footwear, but not her school. She had no idea why they made their female students wear them, but they did, and all she could do was call them ugly names in the back of her mind. It was a very rare occasion that she cursed, just because she didn't think such words were necessary to the English language. It was only when she was deeply upset, like the night she had to relate her story to the boys, that she ever let a curse word pass her lips. 

She took off her shoes, throwing them on the floor beside Leo's bed and groaned as she rubbed her feet.

"You all right?" her boyfriend asked, his eyes touched with concern.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," she said. "My feet just hurt, that's all. It's those stupid shoes." She smiled. "Makes me wish I were a guy sometimes. Then I wouldn't be expected to wear high heels ever. Unless I was a drag queen."

"Just be thankful you aren't a runway model," he said, trying to be helpful. "Then they would make you wear those really high ones."

"The ones that you could stab someone's eye out with? Yeah, that's true. How the heck do they walk in those, anyway?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders.

"I have no idea. Practice, I guess. Is there anything I can do?" he asked, noticing her looking rather uncomfortable as she rubbed her legs.

She stopped her self-massage and frowned, tapping her finger against her chin.

"Well, do you have any milk?"

"I think so. You want some?"

"Yeah. A glass of milk sounds good."

"Okay, I'll be right back." He meant to drop a kiss on her lips, but missed and hit her nose. "Don't go anywhere."

She rolled her eyes, but she smiled.

"Oh trust me. I'm not."

She resumed rubbing her legs as he left the room, letting her hands work the soreness out of her muscles. If she had been wearing jeans or a longer skirt, she might have asked Leo to do it, but because she was wearing her short school skirt, she hadn't mentioned it. Not only was she uncomfortable with it, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable with an unintentional game of Nervous. Though she trusted him, she just wasn't ready to have him touch the bare skin of her legs yet.

She looked around the room. It was a small place, probably no bigger than her own, furnished only by his bed, a desk, and a chair. On this desk was a notebook that lay open with a pencil on top of it. At first, she thought it might have been schoolwork, but she didn't see any other books lying around, and her curiosity was aroused. She knew she shouldn't be snooping, but it was too great a temptation to resist. Besides, knowing Leo, it probably wasn't anything bad. She got up off his bed and crossed the room to pick it up. Sitting down in the chair, she began to read the words written on the page in Leo's rough but clearly legible handwriting.

_What is this feeling_

_I'm feeling for you_

_Whenever I look into your eyes?_

_What is it that makes me want to touch you_

_Do nothing but touch you?_

_Run my hands over your soft skin_

_And entwine my fingers in your beautiful hair?_

_Heat like liquid silk_

_I can't resist you_

_What does it mean?_

_What does it mean?_

_What is it that makes me pull you close_

_And hold your body to me?_

_What makes me want your heart_

_To beat next to mine_

_Now and forever?_

_Why do your pink lips hypnotize me_

_Every time you speak?_

_Why do I blush and feel my blood boil_

_Whenever you are near?_

_What makes me want to spend eternity in your arms_

_And never let you go?_

_Do these forces that drive me to you_

_Also drive you to me?_

_Do you feel the way I do_

_When you look into my eyes_

_And hold my hand in yours?_

_Do you find yourself lost_

_Without a thing to say?_

_Except the very words_

_That you're afraid to speak?_

_Do you also feel this feeling_

_That I'm feeling for you?_

She felt her cheeks burn and cold sweat run down her back as she read these lines. It was beautifully written, nearly sweeping her off her feet with its elegant, yet simple language, and there was no doubt it had come from the very bottom of Leo's heart. She had never known him to have such a talent, and believed he meant every word he said.

Which was exactly what she was afraid of.

The subject he was writing about. He may not understand his feelings, but she did. She knew exactly what he was talking about, and exactly what he was feeling. It was a thing that haunted her dreams; the thing that drove her to awaken sometimes in the night, screaming.

She shivered, even though it was warm in his room, and she was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear Leo come back, two glasses of milk in his hands. When he spoke her name, she was so startled she all but jumped out of her skin. She did jump out of the chair, the notebook still clutched in her hands. Her eyes were as wide and terrified as they had been the night Raf came up and grabbed her from behind, and her voice was a shaky whisper as she said, "I know what it is, Leo."  
At first, he was confused.

"What?"

Then his eyes fell on the notebook, and they dropped to the floor. He flushed deeply as he began stammering apologies.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You weren't supposed to see that…I didn't mean…should have put it away…I forgot it was there."

He set the glasses down on his desk and reached forward to take the notebook from her hands. But her grip tightened, and she looked him in the eyes as she repeated, "I know what it's called. That feeling in your writing."

He let go of the notebook, his interest peaked, and his brown eyes met her green ones when he asked, "What is it?" At last, the mystery of his unknown feelings would be solved. He was excited but her pale face and frightened eyes, not to mention the quiver in her lower lip, told him he was not going to like what he heard.

"Lust."

Her voice was so soft, so scared, it struck a painful chord on Leo's heartstrings, even as the shame came crashing down on his shoulders like a landslide of bricks. So _that_ was what lust felt like. He knew about it, from television and from the lecture Master Splinter had given them two years ago, but he'd never known exactly what it felt like to lust for anything, especially a girl. It was a perfectly natural feeling from he had been told, as long as it wasn't abused, but that was exactly why he felt ashamed, for it was the very feeling that had driven the four operators of the Orphan Train to do the things they had done to her: a cruel, unforgivable lust to cause pain and humiliation. He had wanted to protect her, and now he'd come to find that he was feeling the exact same way her tormenters had.

_But was he?_ he wondered even as he hung his head. Wasn't there a kind of lust that everyone felt at least once in their lives, the kind that wasn't used in a harmful way? The kind that made people think of their partners as much as themselves? Wasn't that what he felt for her? Causing her any pain was the furthest thing from his mind. All he wanted to do was make her happy. Would he ever convince her of this?

"A.J.," he began, pulling the notebook out of her hands so that there was nothing in between them as he took her into his arms. "Lust, sex, what does all that mean to you?"

He was afraid of the answer he would hear, but he had to start somewhere. Best way to handle this problem was logically, hopefully without causing her or himself any unnecessary disturbance.

But her eyes were already filling with tears as she answered.

"Pain…shame…worthlessness…helplessness…powerless to do anything…unable to control your own fate…"

"I don't want to make you feel those things," he said gently. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I know."

"Then why are you afraid?"

"It's all I know," she said after a pause. "That's all I can think of when the subject comes up."

"You don't have to be afraid, not with me."

The tears began to fall, and she pulled out of his arms.

"I'm sorry, Leo."

She put her hands up to her face to wipe her cheeks. Sniffling, she tried to compose herself as he stood there, frozen, his arms held out as though to welcome her back, if she would come back. But she didn't. In fact, she brushed past him to where the milk glasses were sitting, still on the desk. She picked one up and drank it down, not speaking as she paused for breath in between gulps. Leo could only stare at her as she did this, completely lost for words. Absentmindedly, maybe because she was doing it, he took the other glass and drained its contents, finishing before she did, even though she had started before him. Finally, after she had finished her milk, she went to her purse and pulled out her cell phone, looking at it as she flipped it open.

"It's late," she said firmly. "And I'm really tired. I think I should go home.

* * *

Half an hour later, they both dropped onto the ledge outside of her window. 

"Thanks," she said when he set her down. She started to push up the window, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back, slowly and gently so as not to frighten her. She wasn't strong enough to resist him, and she came easily, but he could feel the stiffness in her body as he gave her a hug. Because of this stiffness, he didn't hold her for long, and when he released her, she opened the window, threw her backpack and purse in first, then climbed through herself. She waved, then closed the window and the drapes without a kiss goodbye, leaving Leo alone on the ledge, alone, confused, and upset. He thought about knocking on the glass to apologize again, and maybe explain himself, tell her he didn't know, he didn't understand, but he knew that was useless. The thing she needed most right now was time to herself, and what was the rule Master Splinter had always taught him?

_There were no excuses when you were the leader._

Maybe these feelings he was struggling with were normal for everyone else, but as a trained ninja, he should have had better control of himself. Maybe putting those ideas out on paper was not a very smart idea, and he had better destroy it before someone else, like one or more of his brothers, found it.

Unknown to Leo as he left the ledge and headed for home, A.J. threw herself onto her bed, buried her face in her pillows, and burst into tears.

**There's always the time in the story when everything sort of falls apart, and my friends, this is that time. Things have been going so well for our boys, I just had to shake things up a little. I kind of like the sort of dimension with Leo as a writer, though I understand that in the comic books Mikey's the one that ends up the writer. anyway, I thought it added a nice side of Leo's personality, and maybe how he would deal with these certain..._ feelings. _**

* * *


	11. Chapter 11: Rooftop Reality Check

**This chapter, and the one that will come after it, was originally one chapter, but it was so intense that I just had to split it up. When I said things weren't going well for Raf, I meant it. And to imthegreenfairy88, I swear to _God_ I wrote this _before_ I read your story, so please don't flame me or accuse me of plagiarism, cause I didn't. Thank you very much for your review though. I totally agree with you! **

**Yeah, and if you love High School Musical, sorry.  
**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own the TMNT...never will... don't own High School Musical either, thank god.**

He stood so still he could have been mistaken for a statue on the ledge he was standing on. But he was no statue; he was the Nightwatcher, and he was just doing his job: keeping the streets of New York City safe at night.

Or was he?

Of course he was. But it was much more that that. Mostly, he was keeping a girl he loved safe. And, as that girl hopped off her bike and opened the garage door of her townhouse, he saw that his job, at least this one, was finished. Once she was in, she was in for the night.

He waited for the garage door to close, then jumped absentmindedly from his perch to the roof of the house next to it.

Since Mikey had mentioned that it was possible that the Orphan Train goons might figure out that she had survived and come for her, he had taken to watching her on the nights that she didn't come over, following her as she rode home from work on her bicycle, making sure she got there safely. They had informed her of her situation as well and it showed: once she made it home, she didn't leave her house for the rest of the night.

Smart girl.

And he glad for it too, because if anything were to happen to her, especially if he could have done something about it, he didn't think he would be able to forgive himself.

How he had fallen in love with her, he would never know. She wasn't really the kind of girl a guy like him would go for, and she was so much different than Rachel, a girl he had been seeing while Leo was in Central America. While A.J. was shy, modest, and polite, Rachel had been brash and loud-mouthed, unafraid to speak her mind. She was a little on the strange side, but she was pretty enough, and she could be sweet when she wanted to. He had felt bad to let her go: they'd had some fun times together, but she was getting way too serious with him, and besides, the man her mother had been seeing was a total freak anyway.

But the main reason he'd broken up with her was because of A.J. When he realized he was falling for her, he had gone to Rachel and called it off, simply because, though she was weird, she had feelings too, and he couldn't do that to her, pretending to love her when there was really someone else in his heart. He had honor, despite what others may have thought.

And, while he'd hoped that A.J. would notice him off in the shadows, it had never happened. The most he'd been able to do was frighten her. That was all he ever seemed to do when it came to the sweet little redhead, was frighten her. He knew she was afraid of him, he could see it in her eyes every time she looked at him. And it didn't help that they'd gotten off on the wrong foot, either. Some of the very first words he'd spoken to her had scared her, though he hadn't meant it that way. He was only trying to be firm, and stress the importance that their identity be kept secret, but it had come out like he was threatening her. He didn't have the gift of appearing firm without being scary, like Leo or Master Splinter. And since then, all he'd done to her was frighten her, or startle her so much that she jumped ten feet into the air.

It was part of why he dressed up as the Nightwatcher whenever he watched over her, because in the small chance that she would see him, she would recognize him as the Nightwatcher, and not her boyfriend's brother. Surely she knew the stories; the Nightwatcher was a hero, a mysterious one to boot, but one who only did good, and hopefully she would feel safe, knowing that nothing could harm her while she was in his care. Whereas, if he didn't have his costume on, she might get the wrong idea: think he was stalking her or something.

And having her think that was the last thing he wanted. He didn't want her to get hurt, that was all. All he wanted was to make sure she got home okay.

He had wanted so much to be more than just her boyfriend's brother. But Leo had gotten there first.

_Her_ boyfriend. _His _brother.

The thoughts made him burn with rage. How he hated to see Leo take everything he'd ever wanted away from him, leaving him with whatever was left. It had been a real sting when Master Splinter dubbed him the leader and sent him away on his "vacation," but to come back and then snag a pretty girl without hardly trying was over borderline unfair. Especially since Raf had wanted both, and he was left with neither.

You didn't need to be the star of _High School Musical_ to have drama in your life.

But lately, over the last week or so, she hadn't been coming over, nor had she called them once. It made him wonder if they had had a fight or something, or if she'd decided that their life, the way that they lived, wasn't good enough for her. He sort of resented her for it, stopping her visits like that, without a word or a reason why, but at the same time, he couldn't just drop her the way she had dropped them. One day, he would work up the courage to ask her why, but for the moment, he was just content to watch over her, a guardian angel in black body armor.

"Nice night for a chase, isn't it, Raphael?"

Lost in his own thoughts, he hadn't noticed where he had stopped to sit for a moment, and he had somehow found himself on the roof of A.J.'s townhouse. She must have seen him jump over out her window or something. He sighed at the sound of her voice. He could fool the police, he could fool the stupid, terrified criminals he punished night after night, he could even fool his brothers, but he couldn't fool Leo's pretty girlfriend. He was a little surprised that she had recognized him, but there was no use lying to her.

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked, taking off his helmet and turning to her.

Sure enough, A.J. was standing behind him in a pair of plaid pajama pants, a baggy T-shirt with cut-off sleeves, and nothing else, hugging herself against the cold. She smiled, though her eyes were wary.

God, she had such a pretty smile.

"You were the one who was always gone at night," she said. "After seeing a couple of stories on the news, it wasn't that hard to figure out that you were the Nightwatcher. And anyway, you look like a great big metal turtle."

"It's that obvious, huh?"

She nodded.

"Rats," he muttered, staring at the ground. "You didn't tell anyone, did you?"

He was still alive, so he figured she hadn't, but it never hurt to make sure.

"When your brothers said they had no clue who the Nightwatcher was, aside from some sort of vigilante showboat, I figured there was a reason you hadn't told them. It was none of my business, so I didn't say anything. That's your responsibility."

"Whatever," he sighed.

He didn't know what else to say. There was so much _to_ say, but he had no idea where to begin, what to say first. He felt like his tongue was tied in a knot, but it didn't matter, because she spoke instead.

"Why do you do this, Raf? You won't ever be a team if you can't learn to fight together. Your brothers need you by their side. Why don't you go back to them, and forget all this rebel stuff?"

He was quiet for a minute, trying to think of a response that would gain her sympathy, make him seem less like a monster to her.

"Because they hate me."

Was that a lie? Did Mikey, Donny and Leo really hate him? He paused for a moment. Now that he actually thought about it, was that really true? Maybe they were extremely frustrated with him, did they really hate him?

She gasped in shock, and for a moment, he thought his plan had worked. Then her green eyes flashed, and he knew he'd said the wrong thing.

"That's not true! You're their brother; they love you! What on earth makes you think they wouldn't?"

He had tried so many times to win her affections. Even watching over her as she made her way home, was an attempt, even if she didn't fall for him, for his alter ego. It was all rather pathetic now that he thought about it, but at least he had tried. But he wasn't exactly sure how to win a girl over, and he had always come off as gruff and even a little rude to her. His attempts had always failed, and the way things were going, this one was well on its way. That would have been frustrating enough, but to watch Leo succeed was like pouring salt into his wounds. Sometimes, the pain in his chest was so bad that he had nearly lost himself completely and almost killed people while out Nightwatching. Leo had taken everything he'd ever wanted away from him: the position of leader, the respect of his brothers, and A.J. His fists clenched in his gloves. Why did this always happen? Why couldn't he have anything for himself?

The frustration at his failed attempts to make her love him, the jealousy at his brother for having done so, and the fury at life in general had been building up inside him ever since Leo's return, and suddenly, he snapped. Face-to-face with his demons, he responded the only way he knew how, and he took it out on the thing that was closest. He advanced on her menacingly, uneasily aware of how tiny she looked, and let his words fly, not caring what he said.

"You think you know everythin', don't you? You think Leo cared about us when he left us here for a year, just so he could come back and boss us around?" He snorted. "Yeah, right! He doesn't care about us; he's only cares about makin' things better for himself! He doesn't care that people are dyin' on the streets every night! He just wants everyone to make him look good! Now you know why I became the Nightwatcher. Just because he decides to take a vacation doesn't mean the criminal element of this city does. Someone's gotta make sure they get what they deserve. Crime doesn't take breaks; he does!"

She had been backing away from him as he was yelling at her, a look of terror on her face. There he went, scaring her again, but he didn't care. She had to hear how it was, what was really going on, and what a puffed-up lunkhead her boyfriend really was. But, if she backed up any further, she was going to fall off the roof. She must have realized this, because at the very edge of the roof, she stopped. He'd had more to say, more to rant, more to give her the biggest reality check of her life, but her words, the tone of her voice, and the tears flashing in her eyes stopped him dead.

"How can you be so cruel?" she screamed. "He thinks the world of you, all of you, especially you, Raphael! Are you so blinded by your own hate that you can't see that?"

She had never stood up to him like this before. Never had he seen her look at him like this, her face turning red, her tiny fists clenched, her eyes blazing. He had known her to get feisty, but he had never known her to have such ferocity, at least not on purpose. For a moment, he had nothing to say. But, he still couldn't believe that what she was saying was true.

"So what other lies has he been tellin' you to make you love him?"

The tears fell, but they were not tears of sadness. Her eyes flashed with rage, something he had never seen in her eyes before. She was really mad now, and she made an audible noise of anger in her throat.

"Oh! How dare you talk like that about your brother!"

Now, things were getting interesting. Fighting was a world Raf knew, and was very familiar with. He no longer cared about impressing her, or treading on the strange ground that came with wooing a girl.

"Yeah?" he spat back. "I'll talk about my brother however I want! Why do you care about this anyway? You said it wasn't any of your business."

"Because my own brother died two years ago!" she yelled, and Raf was struck speechless. He never knew she'd had a brother. The night she told the boys that story, he'd been out fighting crime.

Her voice became softer, and lost its edge. Suddenly, she was meek little A.J. again.

"He was hit by a car when we were crossing the street. My girlfriend, too. I survived only because I could run faster. She died almost instantly, but he lingered on for a few minutes. I kept telling him to hold on, that help would be there soon, but he didn't. He just sort of looked up, smiled at me…and slipped away."

She hugged herself again, shivered, and began to sob. She looked very much like she had the night that she'd related the horrific events that had taken place in the Orphan Train, and how she'd finally broken down into tears. How he had longed to be the one to take her into his arms, hold her, comfort her, but Leo had beat him to it. But now she was crying, and Leo wasn't here. Still he locked up, unable to think of what to do. Awkwardly, he put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"You can't imagine the pain of holding your own flesh and blood as he dies in your arms." She looked up at him, her pretty face blotchy red and tear-streaked. "You guys are so lucky. You have a family that loves you and cares what happens to you. You have each other and that's all that you need, and yet you sit around and complain about how bad you think you have it!" She knocked his hand from her shoulder and took a step towards him, closing the distance so she was all but yelling in his face. "Do you know how many people would kill to have what you have? Do you, Raphael? Leo loves you so much; more than his own soul, but you're too busy wallowing in your own self-pity to realize it! If you're looking for the guilty one in this whole deal, all you need to do is look into a mirror! You're selfish, conceited, and all you think about is yourself! You want everybody to feel sorry for you, but in reality, you're not even worth it!"

She turned away from him, folding her arms across her chest like a child who's unhappy with her parents, leaving him staring into the back of her head. He could see every little detail in her hair, and felt his heart ache. He had wanted to be this close to her for a long time. He couldn't help himself. His hand reached up and began to twist through her hair, soft like silk between his fingers.

"You should know…surely you must know…" he began, and she turned around at his change of voice. His hand left her hair and he put both of them on her shoulders, and this time she didn't knock them off.

"I wouldn't have believed it; not of you," he said. "But somehow, and I don't know, but you just, snuck up on me. You came outta nowhere, and before I knew it, I was in love with you. Head over shell, I guess."

He paused for a reaction, but he didn't get one. She just continued to stare evenly at him. He continued.

"I watched you with Leo, and figured out what was happenin'. He'd stolen your heart, and it was Leo you chose, not me. I hated him for it. I wanted you for my own, but Leo got you first, just like he got everythin' first."

He felt his cheeks burn with hatred as the anger rose up in him again. As he felt himself consumed, he didn't notice that his grip on her shoulders had been squeezing tighter and tighter until he could have crushed the bones in her arms. He saw her lips tighten with the pain, but she didn't make a sound, and he realized what he was doing. He released her, and they both relaxed. He muttered an apology, but her dazed eyes didn't seem to register. Instead, she opened her mouth and said, "It might be easier to let go of your hatred for your brother if you let go of me first."

She knew she sounded stunned, and she was. In front of her was a Raf she didn't know. There was a tenderness in his voice that she had never heard before, a gentleness in his eyes she had never seen. He had always seemed to hate her, and did his best to avoid her whenever she came over. Of course, he had saved her life that one time, but she had just thought that he had seen her in danger, and acted on instinct, doing what any normal ninja would have done in a situation like that. Of all the things she knew about him and could see in him, she had never expected this. He had hid it well, probably to keep his brothers from finding out, especially Leo, because it was just one more thing for them to fight about. She regretted losing her temper with him. If she had known, she wouldn't have said all the mean, spiteful things she had.

Until however, she remembered the way he felt about his brother. Love her as he may, he still hated Leo, and that is the worst crime a brother can commit.

"I would never have known it if it had knocked me over the head," she said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, and I know Leo didn't either. He doesn't hate you, Raf. None of them do."

He looked away, down to the ground, not believing. He _was_ the stubborn one, after all. She put her hand on his cheek, turning his head so she could look him in the eyes.

"All he wants is for you to be together again. All of you. He sees you all broken up, and he knows the pain you suffer because of it. You all feel it, especially you. There's a fire in you that feels like nothing else, and every emotion you have is ten times stronger. I know you won't admit it, but the pain inside is greatest in you. He wants to stop it, and bring you all back together again. You know how the saying goes: United you stand, Divided you fall. Like it or not, Raf, you're strongest when you're together, fighting as brothers, not fighting each other. And it's not because he has an ego he wants to inflate, nor does he feel like he's better than you in any way. He may have more patience and he may be less rash, but he is by no means better than you. All he wants to do is unite you again, but he can't do that if you keep fighting him. Look, I know you guys don't get along very well, but if you really want to be a family again, you have _got_ to learn to work together, or else…"

He stared hard at her, his heart thudding hard in his chest. Suddenly, he wished he could be like a normal turtle, and pull himself inside his shell and not come out until she had gone away.

She started to put her hand down, but he grabbed her wrist. Her smooth skin against his was too great a feeling to terminate just yet.

"What about you? What do you see in him?"

It was a question he didn't want to ask, but he had to know. What was it about his brother that made her choose him?

"I see fierce warrior, bound to protect those who can't protect themselves, and an honorable…man, I guess, bound to serve his duties. He doesn't care only about himself, like you think he does, but he's brave, and he puts the needs of others before his own. He respects others, and there's a sense of family in him that is rare these days, like how you three and Master Splinter are his entire life. Without you, he'd be nothing. I told you, he loves you guys, even more than me, and that's how it should be. There's a great deal of presence about him; I don't know what it is. It's like you can tell he's something else, once you get past the fact that he's giant talking turtle."

A dreamy look had come into her eyes, and Raf's heart broke again to see it, wishing that that look was for him. She walked past him a few steps, and he let go of her arm.

"The way he speaks to me, the way he holds me…he makes me feel safe, as though nothing can hurt me, not while he's there."

Raf couldn't bear to hear any more. When she turned around to see if he was getting her point, he was gone, vanished over the rooftops like smoke on the wind.

**I love this chapter. A.J. just really lets Raf have it. I don't know who will agree with me, but her feelings are exactly mine regarding his behavior in the 2007 movie. And I can relate: I have a little brother that acts like this. Yeah, I sort of added Rachel at the drop of a hat, but it was just an idea that came to me while I was listening to the Nightwatcher theme off the soundtrack, and it gives a little more depth to Raf's personality. I'm thinking I might do a short little story about them, but it's really up to you. Do you guys want the Raf/Rachel story? Tell me! Oh, and review, plz. Reviews have been rather slow, lately.**

* * *


	12. Chapter 12: Brotherly Crimes

**In honor of the just passed holiday, a new chapter! **

**Discalimer: Yeah, okay, I don't own this fight scene; it's from the movie. But I just had to put it in. Seemed like it fit, ya know? **

It was Halloween, but the demons Raf was facing weren't the ones you could hand candy to and wish them good-night and a safe holiday.

_She's wrong, she's wrong, she's wrong. _

These words had been chasing each other around Raf's mind since their conversation on the roof of her home. Unable to listen to her describe how much she loved him, he had fled the scene, making his exit so quickly and quietly that it had seemed to her he literally vanished into thin air. He hadn't, of course, and he hadn't gone far, either. He waited around as she called his name a couple of times, then gave up and went back inside her room. He'd taken off for good when she'd closed her window.

As he perched on the corner of a huge theatre, the things she had said the previous evening ran around in his head, rattling his brain. She had made Leo seem all great and wonderful, while turning him into the bad guy. Well, who could blame her? After all, she _was_ Leo's girlfriend. She should be expected to stand up for him, defending his honor, as was only fair. He would have done the same for her. But she was so blinded by her love, that she couldn't see reason, Raf was sure. He was the only one who saw things how they were, and he was all alone in his views, as usual. Well, he was better off doing his own thing anyway, and not bending to the infantile rules of his broken home.

A movement on the rooftops nearby made him turn his head.

_Great,_he thought as his eyes fell on Leo's figure, silhouetted against the cloudy sky, bandana tails flapping in the slight breeze. _This is exactly what I needed._

Fortunately for him, he was dressed up as the Nightwatcher, so his brother had no idea who he was, but all the same, he hated the sight of him, and getting up, he took off over the rooftops, every now and then looking over his shoulder to see him following, trying to catch up. He led him on a wild goose chase through Chinatown, which was rather dangerous because of the amount of lights and all the people that could see them, but he had hoped that maybe by running into the middle of traffic, he could throw Leo off, who would have preferred to stay in the shadows. But it was in vain, as he was jumping from neon sign to neon sign behind him. He scaled the fire escape of an apartment building, and headed over the rooftops again. As raindrops began to fall, he could hear Leo's feet slapping the concrete and shingles, and realized he wasn't going to give up.

He reached the edge of a building that said Red Eye Club in red glowing letters, and found he had nowhere left to run. The buildings around it were all too far away to jump to, and Leo was blocking his only way back. He had no choice. He was going to have to stand and fight.

"I want you to know," Leo began, yelling over the rain. "I appreciate your intentions, but you can't change the world like this."

Like what? Seeing that the bad guys didn't get away? He was doing all right, as far as he could see.

_I don't believe this,_ he thought as Leo continued talking, though he couldn't hear very well because of his helmet. _He's_ lecturin' _me!_

Who did he think he was? That because he was their leader that he could boss the whole city around? Did he really expect the Nightwatcher, the rogue hero of New York City, to listen to him? The Nightwatcher didn't listen to anybody. He followed his own rules.

"…so I'm going to give you this one chance to just walk away, and stop this vigilante nonsense!" Leo was saying.

Raf stayed quiet, because he knew that if he spoke, Leo would surely recognize his voice, and his whole cover would be blown. Actions spoke louder than words anyway.

_Okay, Leo. Time to teach _you_ a lesson, _he thought as he pulled the chains he usually used for weapons out from behind him. The metal balls at the ends hit the ground with a loud _clank!_

Leo got it immediately.

"Look, trust me when I tell you, you _don't_ want to do this," he said calmly, trying to avoid a fight.

But the fight had found him.

_Oh, yes I do, Leo. You got no idea._

He lunged, lashing out at his brother with the chains. Leo dodged the attacks easily.

"Okay, well. I see you've got quite a temper!" he said, his hands in fists in front of him.

Raf tried again, and he missed again, Leo backflipping out of his reach.

"Hey, have you _ever_ done this before?"

He was taunting him, and it only made Raf angrier. He responded by throwing them out in front of him, hoping to smash his opponent in the stomach with the ends, but again, Leo jumped out of the way.

"Oh, come on," he yelled. "You call_that_ an attack?"

He hated to admit it, but the year training in Central America had served his brother well. Most of the opponents Raf faced were down and out with just one of those attacks. But while he had experience and skill on his side, he lacked motive and drive, which was exactly what Raf had working in his favor. He had a reason to beat the snot out of his brother, even if he only got to do it as the Nightwatcher. He tried one last attack, which Leo cartwheeled out of, and vanished from his sight. He looked around, trying to see where Leo had gone, and then realized there was only one place he could be: behind him. He whirled around and sure enough, there he was, but he was just standing there. He didn't say anything; he just smirked, and somehow, that angered Raf more than if he had actually insulted him.

Okay, so the chains weren't going to work. Leo was way too swift for them. He would have to kick his brother's shell another way.

He held his fists up in front of him, bending his knees in the traditional fighting stance. Leo raised his arms to the sky, as if thanking the heavens.

"All right!" he yelled. "Finally, some excitement!"

And he brought his fists down, copying Raf. They faced off, then Raf raced forward.

The first punch he swung missed, and Leo jumped up, kicking him hard in the face. His helmet protected him from most of the blow, but that didn't mean he wasn't still dazed. He quickly recovered his equilibrium, and fought back. They kicked, punched, and tried to knock each other out, neither one successful.

"Funny thing about anger," Leo grunted, dodging another potential blow. He blocked Raf's elbow with his arm, a move that probably saved him a blackened eye. "If you let it consume you, soon enough…"

He ducked under Raf's arm, which had swung around from the side. The motion of his arm spun him around almost one hundred and eighty degrees, which gave Leo a chance to get out of his way, and disappear behind him.

"You'll loose sight of everything," he finished. Raf knew where his voice was coming from, and brought his elbow around. If he had connected with anything, he would have broken Leo's jaw, but Leo ducked again. Raf looked down, but he was too slow. Leo's fist crashed into his chin, sending him flying straight upwards and knocking his helmet off. He turned over in mid-air, just so he wouldn't land on his back, which wasn't a smart move either, because he came down hard on his chest, his helmet landing a few feet away. He stayed down, catching his breath.

"Finally," said Leo. "We meet face-to-face, Nightwatcher."

Raf groaned as he got to his feet, partly because he really was hurting, partly to make Leo let his guard down a little bit. The tails of his red mask, which he usually kept twisted up inside his helmet, had fallen down his back, and Leo saw these before the rest of his brother's head.

"Raf?" he asked as he straightened up. He approached his brother, disbelief etched onto his face. "What?"

Raf turned his head just a little, to get an idea where his brother was. When he came within range, his heavy metal boot shot out, connected with his stomach, and sent him flying backwards into an air-conditioning unit. Fine. There was no helmet to hide under now, so he was just going to have to confront him, and tell him how things were on the other side of the river.

"You are _so_ smug, you know that?" he yelled as Leo picked himself up and spat out a mouthful of rainwater and spit. "You think the world revolves around you, don't you? That we couldn't possibly survive without the mighty and powerful _Leonardo_ to guide us through our problems, huh? Well I gotta newsflash for ya. We got along just fine without you!"

"Oh yeah, and _this _qualifies as 'just fine'?" Leo shot back. "Dressing up like it's Halloween every night, and risking the safety of our family? I mean, come on Raf, what were you _thinking_?"

Raf's voice was a growl as he shook the rain out of his eyes.

"Don't push it, Leo. You can't leave home and come back expecting us to fall in line again, like your little soldiers!"

He spat out the last word like a curse, because that was exactly how Leo was treating them. He wanted them to follow his every word and command, exactly as if they were his little army.

"Then what should I expect from you, huh? And I was _training! Training_ to be a better leader! For you!" He grunted in frustration. "Why do you hate me for that?"

"And whoever said I wanted to be _lead?_ I'm better off callin' my own shots now, so get used to it!"

"You aren't ready!" Leo snapped. They were circling each other now. "You're impatient, and you're hot-tempered…" he ticked off his fingers, "…and more importantly, I'm better than you."

He hadn't meant it, of course. But too late: the words were out of his mouth, and there was no point trying to apologize. Raf wouldn't believe him, because he knew that was exactly how he felt, and trying to convince him otherwise was futile. Besides, both his pride and his temper were stoked up too high to back down now.

His red-masked brother laughed coldly. He was right; A.J. was wrong, and the Grand Master himself had just proved it.

"Oh, you know somethin' bro? I'd have to disagree with you on that one." He drew his sai out from behind him and beckoned Leo with the blade. _Come on,_ he thought. _Your hand-to-hand technique's improved, now let's see how good ya are wit' your steel._

Leo shook his head. He didn't want to do this. He didn't want to fight his own brother.

"Don't do this, Raf."

The eyes that glared back at him appeared red in the light, and were blazing just as hot, not a stitch of doubt in them.

"I'm done takin' orders," he snarled.

Leo sighed. Very well, if that was what he wanted, so be it. Better teach him a sound lesson right here and now than wait for it to get even uglier.

He reached behind his head and drew out his swords. They paused, waiting, staring each other down, then they charged at each other. The air rang as steel clashed against steel, the crossing of their blades splitting the night like lightening. Everything they knew, all their knowledge of their craft, they brought into this one fight. They slashed, sparred, stabbed, blocked, and rebounded, their wild screams accompanied by the sounds of their feet on the concrete, their blades as they met, and the rain on Leo's skin and Raf's metal costume. At last, locked in a furious stalemate, they battled each other's strength, trying to see who would give out first. A sound made Leo snatch a quick look at his swords, and he saw that they were bending, unable to withstand the pressure Raf and his sai were putting on them. In a flash, before he could think, Raf had given one final push and the blades were broken, leaving him staring at the stubs that were left.

Raf jumped up, kicked his defenseless brother to the ground, and pinned him down, one of his sai pressing into his throat. It was in this moment, when Leo's life flashed before his eyes, that someone screamed.

"_LEO!"_

Both their heads turned to locate the source of the scream, and saw, several stories down, A.J. on the sidewalk across the street. She had been riding her bike home from work, and she was soaking wet from the rain, her hair pulled back and plastered to her head like a helmet, her white school blouse drenched and see-through.

"Raf, _no!_" she screamed again.

Raf turned away from her. Everything was a red film, and that was all he could see. He pulled his arm back, the one that had held the sai to Leo's throat, and prepared to plunge it into him. He wouldn't be able to get to his heart, the plastron was too hard, but if he aimed right, he might be able to punch a hole into his windpipe. His eyes narrowed to mere slits.

Leo stared into his brother's pitiless eyes, hardly daring to believe that it was going to end this way. His own brother was going to kill him. His own brother, whom he had admired and respected their entire lives. The brother he loved.

"Take care of her," he whispered, flinching when Raf pulled his arm back. Down in the street, unseen by them, A.J. covered her eyes, sure that this was the end of her lover. She knew that, even though it was not her being stabbed, she would feel the blade all the same. She would feel the pain as his soul was ripped from hers; she didn't need to see his blood spilled. Together, with eyes closed and hearts beating in perfect rhythm, they waited for the moment when they would be separated.

It never came. Staring from his brother beneath him, to the girl down on the street, it all came crashing down on Raf so hard it took his breath away. A.J. had been right all along. It wasn't Leo who was stuck-up and arrogant and thought only about himself. He wasn't the one who had brought all this chaos and unhappiness to his family. He wasn't the one who wanted everyone to do what he said, and not have to follow any rules in turn.

It was himself. _He_ was to blame. _He _was the one who was blind._ He _was the one who was responsible for all this.

And now he was going to kill his own brother? What kind of monster was he?

The red film disappeared, and the anger evaporated from his face. What the shell did he think he was doing? Killing Leo wouldn't make A.J. love him, nor would it bring their family any closer together, or his burden easier to bear. He backed slowly off, allowing Leo to open his eyes, realize that these weren't his final moments after all, and get to his feet. They stared at each other, both silent, no one knowing what to say. All Raf could do was shake his head, staring at Leo in horror about what he had almost done, and what he had almost destroyed.

The sound of tires screeching to a halt down on the street broke the spell. They heard A.J. scream again, and they both ran to the edge of the club's roof, just in time to see a man step out of a black car and pull A.J. into it, kicking and screaming, but to no avail. The tires squealed again, and the car took off down the road at breakneck speed.

"A.J.!" Leo yelled, and they realized what had happened. Their worst fears, the ones Mikey had been the first to alert them to, had been confirmed. The founders of the Orphan Train must have figured out somehow that she was alive, and now they were kidnapping her again, to finish what they had begun.

"Come on!" yelled Raf, but Leo stopped him.

"We can't go anywhere," he pointed out, indicating the huge void of space between them and the next buildings. "We need Mikey and Donny. We need to fight as a team."

Watching the car speed away down the street, every ounce of him was screaming to follow it, by any means necessary. But, grudgingly, he knew Leo was right. Four heads were definitely better than two.

**Oh shit...**

* * *


	13. Chapter 13: A Lesson in Humility

So I understand some people are under the impression that I hate Raf. THIS IS NOT THE CASE!!! I have nothing against the turtle, in fact, I rather like him. It's his behavior that I have an issue with. And I know it seems like I'm beating up on him, but take heart. Just keep reading. I'm well aware of his plot, and I intend to go somewhere with it. I'm just sort of setting it up for the sequel.

To all Mikey fans: here's the chapter where he gets his moment! I also tried to give a little insight into Donny's head as well.

Thanks to all who are reviewing! I'm pretty happy I haven't been flamed yet! Y'alls are awesome!

Disclaimer: Still don't own them (sigh). And anything you recognize from the TMNT movie I don't own either.

* * *

The pay phone that served as Mikey's business line was ringing.

"I'll get it!" Mikey yelled, jumping up from his seat at the table. He leapt backwards, did a backflip, and landed in front of the phone. He flipped it off the receiver, caught it in his hands, then said happily, "Cowabunga Carl's party services, cowa-_bunga_, dude!"

_"Mikey!"_ screamed the voice on the other end of the line so loud it hurt his ears. _"Help me! Heeeeelp meeeeee!"_

"A.J.?" he asked, putting the phone back to his ear. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, babe. What's going on? Are you okay?"

"I'm being kidna_AAAAAHHH!"_

She screamed again, and the line went dead.

"A.J.?" he said, scared to believe what he had just heard. "Hello?"

The dial tone answered him, and he hung up. His brother's voice sounded very far away as realization began to sink in.

"Mikey?" said Donny. He had heard the conversation, but it all had sounded like a load of loud, panicked gibberish to him. "What was that all about?"

After he'd placed the phone back into its cradle, Mikey turned around to face his brother, looking as though he'd either seen a ghost or he was about to be violently ill. His normally bright, childish blue eyes were wide with horror, and he looked oddly pale under his green skin.

"We gotta go," he said.

At that moment, before Donny could question his brother's remark, Leo and Raf burst through the door.

"We gotta find 'em!" Raf yelled, ignoring the stairs entirely as Leo flew down them. "And we gotta find 'em now!"

"Find who?" asked Donny, frowning. "What's going on?"

"A.J.'s been kidnapped!" Leo gasped out, leaning on the table to catch his breath.

"I know," said Mikey, and his brothers stared at him. "I just got off the phone with her."

Leo jumped forward, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"You were on the phone with her? What did she say? Did she tell you anything?" he asked urgently.

Seeing the genuine fear and worry in his brother's eyes scared Mikey, and he answered quickly "N-no, not really. She was just screaming for help, and then the line went dead."

Raf looked as though he'd been stabbed through the heart.

"So she could be dead already."

"Don't say that!" Leo barked.

"Guys, relax," said Donny, moving in. He didn't know what Leo and Raf had been doing out by themselves, but he was pretty darn sure it wasn't trick-or-treating. He could tell that a fight was well on its way to breaking out, and he lived up to his reputation as keeper of the peace. "Her kidnappers probably just realized she was on her cell phone and they took it away from her so the call couldn't be traced. Probably thought she was calling the police. The chances of her still being alive are very high. If anything, the worst is that she's unconscious."

In reality, he was just as afraid as his brothers that A.J. was dead. He was only saying these things to prevent his brothers from becoming more agitated than they already were. Logically, of course, they made sense, but they had a crisis on their hands, and tempers were running high. It was bad enough already; it didn't need to get any worse.

"We gotta go out there and find her. We ain't got any other choice," said Raf.

"But we don't even know where they've taken her," Leo said. "There's nothing we can do until we figure out where their hideout is. Donny…"

"You're gonna stand there and let the love of your life die while quotin' a rulebook to me that you ain't even been followin' yourself? That ain't good boyfriendship, Leo. I tell ya, if she were _my_ girlfriend, I'd still be out there lookin' for her instead of sittin' in here and wastin' time!"

"See?" Leo shot back. "This impatient attitude is exactly why you _aren't_ our leader! I want to find her as much as you do, but running around blindly in a huge city isn't going to get us anywhere. You can't find something if you don't know where to look!"

"But if we don't do somethin' now…"

"It's not all about the action, Raf! Sometimes you've got to use your brain!"

Leo jabbed a finger into his temple to emphasize his point. He and Raf faced off for the second time that night, teeth bared, eyes blazing. They may have managed to avoid killing each other, but that didn't mean they were going to agree on the best course of action to save the woman they loved.

Suddenly, someone snapped.

"STOP IT!" Mikey screamed, slamming his fists down on the table. The room went deadly quiet. Leo and Raf stared at him, their eyes wide in surprise, completely startled by his outburst. Their anger was forgotten instantly.

"None of this is going to help A.J.!" Mikey continued. "She's out there somewhere, and you guys are wasting time on your stupid fighting! Forget the grudges, and for once in your lives, think about someone other than yourselves!"

_"Michaelangelo!"_ said Master Splinter sharply, stepping into the kitchen from his rooms. He must have been drawn out by his sons' squabbling. He looked around at everyone's pale faces. "What is the matter?"

"We were out, me and Leo," Raf began, but he was so distressed that he didn't know how to get it out right. "We were doin'…somethin'…somethin' happened, and I…we…"

He grunted as he punched the wall.

Splinter could see his boys were clearly upset, and from what he'd heard, it had something to do with their little human friend, A.J.

"Kneel, my sons," he said, and the two of them dropped to their knees in front of him.

"We did somethin' really stupid, Master Splinter," said Raf, his voice heavy. He took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. "I know why you chose him now. I know that there's a reason why _he's_ the better son, and I'm not."

He hung his head; he couldn't look his father or his brother in the eyes. Feeling the guilt was bad enough, but fessing up was even worse. He understood everything now: what Leo had that he didn't have. Patience. Self-control. And an ability to not let yourself be controlled by your emotions. With what might have been his last breath, his brother had asked _him,_ the one who might have taken that breath, to look after her. A.J., who would never have forgiven him his crime. He didn't beg Raf to spare his life, nor did he curse him out. He had simply asked that she be cared for, when he was no longer around to do so, proving A.J. right once again, that he thought of others before himself.

Leo opened his mouth to argue, but Splinter spoke first.

"Raphael," said the old rat gently. The boys were not the only ones who could see the pain and regret in his son's eyes. "You always bear the troubles of others on your shoulders. It is an admirable quality, especially when you are a protector of those others, but you must realize that while, at times you are not my favorite _student,_ it does not mean that you are my least favorite _son._"

"But Master," Leo interrupted.

"Leonardo, please," said Splinter, holding up his hand. "Silence." Turning back to Raf, he continued. "You are strong, passionate, and loyal to a fault. These are the merits of a great leader as well, but only when combined with compassion, discipline, and humility."

"But Master Splinter."

This time it was Raf who interrupted. He appreciated the compliments, but someone's life was as stake. Someone he loved.

"We messed up big tonight. I mean, real big."

He looked over at Leo, and nodded. He couldn't get it out himself.

"They got her," he said.

"Got whom?" their sensei asked, even though he already knew the answer. Leonardo's eyes were wet, and Raphael's were getting there.

"A.J.," Leo managed to choke out. He hung his head, as though the shame of failure had physical weight. "We were worried that the guys from the Orphan Train would discover that she had survived, and that they would come back for her. Turns out we were right. And Raf and I were so busy fighting each other that we couldn't save her."

"Now she's gone," Raf finished. "And it's all our fault."

There were many times his sons had made him proud, but this was one of those occasions when they surprised even him. Whether they realized it or not, Leonardo and Raphael were more alike than different. They both were extremely proud, and to see them finally admit they were wrong filled the old rat with such a joy that he could not describe, despite the fact that A.J.'s life was in danger. Being humble was a great virtue, not just for a ninja but for everyone, and his boys were learning to be humble.

Still they had a life to save, and they didn't have much time.

"Then you must go to her," he said, taking a deep breath. "You must find who is responsible for this, and end the suffering of the innocent once and for all."

"By your wish, Father," said Raf, and Master Splinter placed his hand on his shoulder.

* * *

A few minutes later, the four were standing around the kitchen table, Donny's map of New York City spread out in front of them. 

"I've marked where all the bodies were found, including A.J.'s," Donny was saying. "That's what those little red X's are for. And look at this."

"Whoa," said Leo, staring at where Donny was pointing.

"Whoa," Mikey and Raf echoed.

"They form a perfect circle," said Leo.

"Coincidence?" Raf asked.

"Could be," said Donny. "But guess what's right dead center?" He stuck his finger in the middle of the circle of red X's and looked up at his brothers. When they gave him the usual blank looks, he grinned and said, "A warehouse. A warehouse with the drawing of a candle on the side."

Realization dawned on their faces.

"Oh, dude," said Mikey. "You don't think…"

"That's gotta be the place," said Raf. "Right Donny?"

"Well, I couldn't find any record of a purchase of the property, but I bet that's it, because the only thing next to it is a bunch of portable offices."

They all stared at each other.

"So, what do we do?" asked Mikey.

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do," said Leo, jumping back into the position of Fearless Leader again. "We're gonna take back what's ours. We're gonna rescue A.J. and everyone else victimized by this operation, and put these jokers in their place. We'll show them what happens when they mess with us!"

"Yeah!" Mikey and Donny cheered, grabbing up their weapons. Leo looked around.

"Where's Raf?"

Their red-masked brother was nowhere in the room.

"He was here a second ago," said Donny.

"I'm here," said Raf, coming out of the dojo. In his hand he held two katanas, which he handed to Leo. "You're gonna need these if you're gonna lead us through this."

Leo smiled, and put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I'm gonna need you, too. All of you." He took the katanas from Raf, and put them into the empty sheaths on his back. "So, what do you say?"

"I'm in," said Donny.

"All for one and one for all, dudes!" Mikey cried gleefully.

They all looked at Raf.

"I say we kick butt!" he yelled, and with another unified cheer, they sped as one from the lair to the surface. From inside his rooms, Master Splinter heard them go, their wild, whooping shouts sounding familiar of their younger days, when fighting crime had been all fun and games. In the silence that followed their boisterous exit, he whispered. "Be safe, my sons. I only pray you're not too late."

* * *

While the boys had been fighting with each other, confessing their mistakes, and speeding to her rescue, A.J. was being taken back to the Orphan Train's headquarters. Exactly as Donny had predicted to calm his brothers, her attackers had only discovered that she was on her cell phone, and had taken it away from her. She had received a slap in the face for it, but it had been worth it. Now Mikey and Donny at least knew that something was wrong, so maybe they could find a way to help her in any way they could. And, as she was conscious the whole ride over, she would be able to pinpoint the exact location. If she managed to escape. 

Now, she found herself in a cold, dark room, much like the one she had originally been held in. Maybe it was the same one; she didn't know, nor did she care. She had bigger things to worry about, like getting the hell out of there.

It was going to be difficult to do. She was standing with her back against the wall, two men in front of her. She recognized them as two of the four founders of the Orphan Train, and the leader was not among them. There were other differences as well. This time, the door was open, and she was not going to let intimidate her.

"So, how did you survive?" said one of them.

How she would have loved to tell them about the boys, and how they were probably on their way right now, but she didn't say anything. No sense in putting them on their guard. Quickly, she searched for something to say.

"I'm a tough cookie," she said finally. There, that wasn't a lie. She had to be pretty tough to have clung to life as long as she had, long enough for Mikey to discover her motionless body, and then some.

"No one could have survived very long without help," said the other, a weasely man with thinning brown hair and a moustache. "Who found you?"

"Was it the cops?" asked the one who'd first spoken.

"No," she said, and as soon as the word was out of her mouth, she wished it wasn't. Now that she thought about it, that response would have been the most logical one, and better they get pissed off at the police than civilians. But it was too late. She'd said what she'd said, and there was nothing she could do about it now except work with what she had.

"Then who was it?" asked Weasel-man.

She glared at him, too scared to smirk.

"I'm not going to tell you."

"You'll tell us everything once we get done with you," said the first one, to which she replied, "You're dead wrong about that. I'm not afraid of you anymore."

An ugly look came into their eyes.

"Oh you're not? Well, let's see if we can't fix that."

_Great,_ she thought. They were going to do their best to beat the snot out of her. This time, however, she was prepared. Though she was nervous and a little shaky, she couldn't lose her cool. She couldn't let them scare her, but she couldn't get cocky, either.

And hopefully she could remember those self-defense techniques Leo had taught her.

The one who had spoken first swung a punch at her. She ducked, and used her size to her advantage. She was smaller than him, and therefore faster. Keeping low, she slammed into his gut, driving her shoulder into his stomach in hopes that he would double up in pain and fall over, giving her a straight shot to the door. Forget the other man; all she cared about was getting out of there.

If A.J. had been a true ninja like her boyfriend, she would have known that it was unwise to expose the back of her neck the way she had, but she wasn't. She found out, though, as he wrapped his arm around her neck in a backwards headlock and began pulling upwards, choking her. Reacting normally as anyone would have, she abandoned her task of knocking him over, knowing that if he fell, he would take her with him, and possibly break her neck, resorting to attempting to wedge her fingers in between his arm and her throat so she could have a little space to breathe. But all that did was make it worse, and struggling was out of the question. She wasn't big enough to throw him off, and it would just wear her out. Rats. How was she going to get out of this one?

Frantically searching her head for something to use against him, she remembered some kung-fu movie she had been watching with the boys one time. The movie itself had been pretty stupid, with a bad storyline and even worse acting, but from what they had said, the martial arts had, for the most part, been accurate. And now that that movie was in her mind, she remembered one move that had caught her attention, just because it was so cool. Performed correctly, it caused absolutely no harm to the person being attacked, while the attacker could suffer all sorts of unpleasant injuries, sometimes fatal. It was a complicated move, but it was her only hope, because it was the only thing she could think of for getting out of a situation like this. It would get you out of a backwards headlock, but it required flipping your opponent over your head, and she wasn't sure if she could do that. Still, if she wanted to get out of here alive, she would have to try, and if she got a few bruises in the process, so be it.

She let go of his arm and put her hands on his leg, right above his knee. In the delay she took to catch her breath, what little was left of it, he realized where her hands were, and chuckled.

"Oh, really now? Well, we can do that too, if you want, darlin'."

He and his friend laughed cruelly. She knew from his tone that they intended to rape her once they got her on the ground, making fun of how much distress it had caused her the last time. But she was stronger now: not the helpless little girl they had nabbed before. She would never let a man get past her defenses without her permission again.

"Not this time, bat-face," she growled, still unable to bring herself to curse. She closed her eyes, envisioning the actor on the screen from the movie. Her instincts would have to guide her, because nothing else would. She sucked in what little breath she could, her voicebox beginning to hurt. Here goes nothing.

Keeping a tight grip on his leg, she sat down, rather hard because the floor was closer than she had anticipated, and threw his leg over her head. It worked. The rolling of their combined weights made him let go of her neck so he could catch himself, but it didn't do much good, and he crashed into the wall behind her.

It all happened so fast she barely had time to realize that she could now breathe, and that she had a clear path to the open door: to freedom. She heard the other yell, "Holy shit! You little bitch!" but she wasted no time. Gasping, she scrambled to her feet and ran as fast as she could for the single rectangle of light: her only hope of escape. Her spirits rose higher with every step, but then a shadow fell across her, and a nasty, familiar voice hissed. "Well, well, well. What _have_ we here?"

* * *

Would not want to be A.J. right now...

Just so you all know, that move that she pulls on the guy actually is a real martial arts move, but I've made it sound a lot harder than it really is. Usually, the physics do all the work for you. It's a useful technique if someone's got you in a headlock, but I wouldn't recommend trying it on someone when you're wrestling, because it's very dangerous and can really hurt someone, especially if you do it right. Also, the movie that's mentioned probably doesn't exist, but if it does, then I'm not aware of it.

Hope everyone's liking A.J.'s character development so far. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a weak female character. I know she starts out that way, but one of the minor plots here is her learning to face her fears, and to be strong in the face of danger. Still, I don't want anyone to get under the false impression that she becomes violent, because that's not really what I'm going for. Just a little something to keep in mind when you read the next chapter.

* * *


	14. Chapter 14: Bullet Ridden Justice

**Well folks, we're coming down to the end of the story. This is the final chapter before the epilogue, and then I'll be posting some author's notes after that. Again, no one get the idea that A.J. has resorted to violence, because she hasn't. But what she does in the chapter I felt was necessary, and also erases once and for all any lingering suspicions of Marysueness. May they all rot and burn in hell. Oh yeah: violence and language inside, just so you all are warned.  
**

**Disclaimer: Never have, never will. But A.J., the evil Orphan Train dudes, and the plot are all mine.**

Silent as shadows, the boys dropped onto the roof of the warehouse. To the right, they could see the portable offices Donny had mentioned; to the left, a big empty lot. But this was no time for sight-seeing. They had work to do.

Swiftly, they crossed the roof and jumped off, landing in front of what they assumed was the entrance: two huge, wooden doors that were held together with a chain and a padlock. Leo turned to his brothers.

"Well, if anyone wants out, now's the time."

He said this more out of tradition than anything else, because there was no way any of them were turning back now. Raf and Mikey had already draw their respective weapons, and Donny was standing there with his Bo in one hand and a small explosive device in the other.

"And miss all the fun?" Mikey grinned. "No way, dude!"

"The rest of us love her as much as you do, Leo," said Donny evenly. "We're not backing out now."

"We're all in this together," said Raf, and he looked at Leo, who looked back, and smiled. "So let's fight together. As brothers."

"As brothers!" Mikey and Donny echoed, and Leo smiled.

"Looks like we're all in," he said, reaching behind his head and drawing his new swords. "So let's get 'em!"

"Yeah!"

"All right!"

"Out of the way, please!"

As his brothers moved back a couple of feet, Donny went up to the doors and stuck his explosive device to one of them. He pushed the buttons, then got out of the way, covering his face as it exploded to prevent splinters from stabbing him in the eyeballs. When it stopped raining wood, they took one last breath, tightened their grip on their weapons, and rushed into the warehouse.

It was empty. They could see all the way to the other side due to the large windows, and there was nothing inside.

"But…" Leo began.

"I don't understand," said Donny. "I thought…" he looked around at his brothers. "Didn't she say this was the place?"

Mikey just shrugged. Raf, on the other hand, was turning slowly around, looking at the view through the hole they had just blasted in the doors. Unknown to them, he was putting two and two together.

"Hey guys!" he said, stopping Leo from impaling one of the support beams with his swords in frustration. "This ain't where A.J.'s bein' held. It's the place next to us."

He pointed, and saw them all mentally kick themselves as they followed his blade. For once, he'd figured out something before Donny had.

"Of course!" Donny cried, kicking the floor with his heel. "The Orphan Train's HQ isn't an abandoned warehouse! It's the portables next to it! Raf, you're a genius!"

Coming from Donny, that was a huge compliment. Still, the red-banded turtle just shrugged and raised an eyeridge.

"You're the genius, bro. You just miss the details sometimes."

Leo and Mikey were a little slow on the uptake.

"What are you dudes talking about?"

"Yeah?"

"When A.J. said that she'd seen the drawing of a candle on the wall of a building, it wasn't the building she was being dragged out of, it was the one _next_ to it. Because she had no idea where she was, and she was probably pretty weak and groggy at that that point, she didn't know any different. This explains why I could never find record of a purchase of this property, because there wasn't one! It also explains how they put the plumbing and stuff in without suspicion. No one would suspect renovation being done to a bunch of portable offices. It was right in front of me! I can't believe I didn't see it before!"

"Yeah, well you can remorse about it later," said Leo gently, but firmly. "But we've got a girl to save."

"Then what are we standin' around for? Let's go!" Raf yelled, and they sprang forward, heading for the dozen or so portables on the other lot.

* * *

A.J. literally felt her blood run cold as the face of the man who had nearly killed her came into view. She froze in her tracks, her breathlessness forgotten. 

He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him, and A.J.'s initial shock and fear began to turn to hatred. Here was the man who had made her afraid to have sex with Leo, something she was sure she would not have been afraid of if she hadn't been raped. It was this jerk-off in front of her that caused her to run from the only one she had ever loved, and was sure had ever loved her. The fear left her eyes, and was replaced with something she had never felt before.

Being a teenaged girl, she'd had her share of high school drama, betrayed friendships and hurt feelings, but she'd never felt such a desire for revenge as she did now. The will to make someone suffer as much as she had, to make him feel all the pain he had made her feel. She didn't care how she did it, she would get back at him.

Even if he had a gun in his hand, she realized as he pulled it out of his belt. Hopefully, she would enact her revenge _before_ she got shot. She really hoped that the boys were on their way.

He advanced on her, pointing the gun at a level somewhere between her eyes. She backed up, but continued glaring at him, letting him know that she was not afraid. She couldn't be. She wasn't going to let them bully her this time. There were three of them and one of her, and she knew she was going to get seriously banged up, but at least she wouldn't cry, and she wouldn't go down without a fight.

"You were so very rude to us last time, to escape after we tried to do you a favor by ending your pathetic life. We won't be so kind, now. By the time we get finished with you, you'll wish you had died the first time!"

A.J. swallowed. She didn't like their tone, and Leo hadn't taught her anything to fight off more than one person.

The leader tucked the gun back into his belt, and reached up to slap her and knock her sideways like he had the last time, but when he brought his hand down, she blocked the blow with her arm. It hurt, and would probably leave a bruise, but at least it wasn't her face. He stared at her in surprise as she spat, "You broke me once. You won't do it again."

Her left hand was the one blocking his, and she popped him in the mouth with her right. He reeled backwards, stunned. She held up her fists, imagining that she cut a pretty funny figure, tiny and soaked as she was. She couldn't fight them all at once, but if they came at her separately like this, she could go all day, or at least until she came up with a better idea.

Or they shot her.

Whichever came first.

When the leader told his cronies to get her, only Weasel-man stepped forward. The other didn't look too keen to put his hands on her again, not after what she had done to him. She stopped Weasel-Man in his tracks by jamming the heel of her shoe into his foot. He squawked, and while he was distracted by her foot, she gave him an uppercut to the chin. Being short, this was easy for her.

She sent Weasel-man back to his place with the others, then stood up and surveyed the damage. The one she had flipped had a bloody goose-egg on his forehead, and his nose jutted out at an angle that she was sure meant it was broken, the leader's lower lip was beginning to swell up and puff out, and Weasel-man was gingerly trying to put weight on his foot. She smirked, proud of herself for having caused all this herself. A tiny, eighteen-year-old girl had just made three grown men look really, really stupid, but in that moment, when she'd let her guard down, her legs were kicked out from under her and she fell to the ground on her hands and knees. The leader kicked her hard in the ribs, and she felt the breath rush out of her lungs, but nothing was broken. He pulled the gun from his belt and she flinched, waiting for the bang that would end her life.

There was a bang, but it wasn't from the gun. An explosion shook the fragile building and caused them all to wobble, even A.J., whose weight was distributed a little more evenly than the others.

"What the hell was that?" said the leader, glaring at his associates. They just shrugged cluelessly.

"_Fuck!_" he yelled. "The goddamn cops are here!" He turned back to A.J., and she heard the click of the safety as he pointed the gun at her. She flinched again, but he didn't shoot her this time either, because the door was kicked in and a familiar figure with brown eyes and a blue mask burst into the room, holding two katanas in his hands.

"Trick or treat!" he yelled.

"Leo!" A.J. cried from the floor.

"A.J.!" he cried back. "You're alive!"

"You found me!"

"I promised I'd protect you. And a ninja never goes back on a promise."

In his surprise and fear, the leader, who had whirled around when Leo had come through the door, pulled the trigger and the blast from the gun made them all jump. Fortunately, in his haste to fire, he hadn't taken very good aim, and he missed any critical areas by a long shot. She saw Leo flinch slightly, and a line of red appeared along his arm just beneath his shoulder. She started to ask if he was all right, but at that moment, the fire sprinklers came on, drenching them all in seconds. An arm encircled her neck, dragging her roughly to her feet, and the leader pressed his gun to her head.

"Don't come any closer!" he warned the advancing Leo. "Or I'll kill the girl!"

* * *

After Donny's explosive had blown the door off the portables, Raf had slipped off one way, while his brothers had gone the other. No, he wasn't deserting them. His plan was to see if he could find A.J. before the others did, and apologize…for everything. For hurting her, for dissing his brother in front of her, and for not being able to protect her. Did he hope to win her over? Well, he couldn't deny that it would be nice, but he wouldn't do that to Leo. Not now. He still liked her, of course, but it was no good trying to take what had never been his to begin with. 

He followed his ears to the sound of someone screaming down the hall. Maybe it was A.J., maybe it wasn't. He had to start somewhere. He found the door, which was closed, confirmed that the screams were coming from inside, and kicked it down.

He found a woman being raped, but it wasn't A.J. She was Oriental, not old, not young, not ugly, not pretty, but somewhere at a point between all four. He guessed she probably had a husband and two or three kids at home. She wasn't who he was looking for, but now that he was here, he couldn't just leave her. A woman was in trouble, and a ninja had to put the needs of others before his own.

"Hey! Scumbag!"

He raised his sai as the man on top of her yanked his pants up in a hurry and got to his feet, trembling.

"What in the hellfire?" he said, staring Raf up and down. Now that they were facing each other, Raf recognized him as one of the founders of the Orphan Train, one of the men A.J. had described.

_At last,_ he thought. _We meet._

"Get out," he said to the woman on the floor, who was frantically trying to squeeze back into her jeans. When she got up and headed for the door, Raf stopped her. "But don't go far. I wanna talk to you."

He was going to give her the same lecture they gave every time they had human witnesses: privacy is very important to us, please don't tell anyone we exist, especially the cops, etc. But right now, he had a score to settle.

The man was pulling a gun out of his pocket as the sprinklers came on to extinguish the fire Donny's bomb had caused. The water didn't bother Raf, though it might cause some vision problems for his human opponent. Which, in all fairness, was a good thing, because he was the one with the gun.

"You really think you scare me with that toy?" he mocked as the man held up the gun.

"Get away!"

"Too late for that, dude."

In that moment when he was imitating Mikey's way of speaking, he realized just how much his brothers meant to him. How could he have been so stupid before?"

He took a step forward, and the man took several steps backward, the hands clutching the gun shaking. His whole body was shaking. Raf smirked.

"Now you know how all your ladyfriends feel every time you walk up on 'em," he snarled, moving forward still. The man frowned and lowered the gun a little.

"What do you know about that?"

"Everythin'. And I'm here on account of one of 'em. A little redhead: you might remember her. She'd be about this high…" he held his hand just below his chest, "…green eyes, really pretty? Ring any bells?"

The man didn't answer him, but he didn't care. He was about done talking to this loser anyway.

"Yeah well, I ain't gonna ask ya why ya did it. I don't care. The point is that she's a real nice girl, and now she's got her whole life ahead of her. You messed her up, and that's a real shame. I just can't let a thing like that slide, so come on." He beckoned him with his blade, like he had done to Leo about an hour or so ago. "Let's see if you can beat me the way you beat her!"

In sheer panic, the man fired three shots in succession, all of which Raf dodged easily, because they all were within half an inch of each other. Coming out of a cartwheel, he sneered.

"Aww, come on. You think you're tough with that thing, don't 'cha?"

He fired again, and Raf dodged it again, this time striking back. Closing the distance between them in a single bound, he slashed the hand holding the gun to the bone with his sai, and as soon as the gun hit the ground, he kicked it out the door. With both blades at his throat, he drove the man across the room and slammed him into the opposite wall.

"You're gonna have to do better than that to get through me!"

He stepped back to give the man a chance to regroup. He wasn't just going to knock him out without a fight. That would just be too easy. Looking at him, he had to shake his head. This guy didn't look like the monsters who raped little girls on TV and in the movies. He looked old enough to probably have a good, steady career, a nice house somewhere, a wife. He didn't look old enough to have grown-up kids, yet old enough for a couple of kids nonetheless. Maybe he was a real family man, the kind of dad that his kids talked about to their classmates on People-You-Admire-Day. He shook his head again. Sure was hard, leading a double life.

The human pulled a long copper pipe from its place in the wall. Water spouted from where he tore it out and he faced Raf, holding it out in front of him with both hands like a sword. The turtle nodded.

"Good enough."

Again, out of panic, the man attacked him. This was fine for Raf; he could see what he knew, and how best to counteract. He was no Foot ninja, but it wouldn't do to overestimate.

But overestimating was out of the question. The man hardly knew what he was doing as he swung the pipe wildly left and right. Most of these immature attacks Raf just jumped out of the way for, but when he held up his own weapons to deflect one of the blows, the reverberations made from steel striking copper were too much, and he almost dropped the pipe. Raf, of course, was used to them, and they were no problem. He waited until the man had a firm grip on the pipe again, and this time, _he_ went on the offense.

As the heat of the battle wore on, he felt the familiar bloodlust rise up within him, the one that always appeared when he was in a fight. It had always been very strong, but tonight, up on the roof of that club with Leo, and now, defending the honor of a woman he loved, it had never gripped him so fiercely. Everything veiled in red again, and he was barely conscious of his movements, fighting on autopilot. With his brother, he had managed to catch himself before he did anything really stupid, but this time, by the time he came to his senses, it was already too late.

* * *

"Drop my A.J., dirtbag," Leo growled, not stopping as he stepped forward again, purposefully making his feet sound heavier than they were. For once, he was glad to see fear in a man's eyes. "This is between you, and me." 

The panic and terror in the leader's voice was so alien to A.J., who had always heard him mocking and cruel. The muzzle of the gun hurt as he ground it harder into her temple and screamed, "What _are_ you?"

"Your worst nightmare."

He gulped, and turned to his two cronies.

"G-Get him!" his shrieked, and she saw the muscles in Leo's forearms bulge as he tightened his grip on his swords.

_Whack!_

The first one, the one she'd flipped over her head, went down immediately as he was cracked over the head by the end of a wooden stick. A second later, Weasel-man fell over has he too was knocked out, and Mikey and Donny melted out of the shadows on either side of her.

"Hey babe!" said Mikey brightly. Donny smacked the hand that was holding the gun to her head, then kicked it away. Mikey took her hand, saying, "Sorry we took so long. It was murder findin' this place!"

They pulled her out of the leader's arms and the three of them got behind Leo, no one wanting to get in his way. Alone, with no weapons, hostages, or backup, and facing an angry turtle armed with swords, he lost his nerve. He fell to his knees, blubbering.

"Please! Please don't kill me!"

Leo narrowed his eyes, and wondered how many women had cried those same words before he pulled the trigger and silenced them forever.

"You deserve it. And I'm sorely tempted."

The throbbing pain in his arm was driving him nuts, and wearing on his already thin patience. If this guy did one thing: one more thing to piss him off, he was going to lose it. At least A.J. was out of danger. And the blood of too many stained this place. He didn't need to spill any more.

"Now listen," he said, the voice coming out of his throat one even he didn't recognize. "And you'd better do exactly what I tell you, because I can make you sorry you were ever born."

And he could. But any threats made were not put into effect, because someone snapped, and it wasn't Leo, or even the leader.

Call it childish, foolish or selfish, but it was clear in her mind what she had to do. She only had to think once; her heart did the rest.

Did she mean to do it? Maybe, if she had hesitated, she would have changed her mind. But yes, she meant to do it. Did she worry about the consequences of her actions? Not really. Maybe she thought she could hide the evidence. Maybe she didn't think at all. But she definitely acted.

And did she regret what she'd done? Absolutely not.

A.J. pulled her hand out of Mikey's, this being very easy because her skin was wet and slippery. Mikey only had time to say, "Hey babe, where you goin'?" before her hands were on the gun, she was picking it up, and running to stand in front of Leo. He saw what was happening, and yelled her name, but she didn't hear him. Every fiber of her being was focused only on the man in front of her, and nothing else mattered. She gave him one last cold glare, and she pulled the trigger.

The leader, who had been getting slowly to his feet in preparation for whatever Leo was going to ask him to do, jerked and a hole appeared in his stomach. She fired again, and he stumbled backwards into the wall. She fired again, and again, and again until the cartridge clicked empty. The leader slumped down onto the floor, eyes flickering before they closed and his last breath escaped his lungs, sending his vile soul to face the judgment that awaited it. A.J. lowered her arms and raised her face to the ceiling, letting the water from the sprinklers fall on her, washing the deed from her mind, heart, body and soul. At last: salvation. He was gone. He was dead. He would never harm her again.

A smile began to curl the corners of her mouth.

Meanwhile, the boys looked at each other in shock. It had all happened so fast they were still trying to grasp it. One moment, A.J. had been safely out of danger and Leo had been menacing the sniveling cad; the next, five shots rang out and that sniveling cad was choking on his own blood and A.J. was holding the gun. Now she stood there, quiet and calm after the storm, her hands still on the weapon though it was no longer dangerous.

"Okaayy," said Mikey after a nervous and very uncomfortable pause. "Now what?"

Leo sheathed his swords. He wouldn't be needing them anymore. He was just as shocked as his brothers, but making a big deal about it would probably only make it worse.

"Let's tie these guys up," he said, gesturing to the unconscious men. "Then we'll go look for the fourth one, if he's here."

"What about A.J.?"

"Leave her. She needs her moment."

"Needs her moment? Leo, she's just killed someone! In cold blood!"

"What do you suggest we do, Donny? Yell at her? Scold her? It would do no good; the man's dead."

"But…"

"I don't expect you to understand," said A.J., turning around. "Nor do I expect you to forgive me."

"A.J.," Leo began, but she held up her hand.

"I have my own reasons for killing him, and it was my choice to do this. You can't blame me for that."

"No one's blaming you for anything," said Leo. "You did a very brave thing, and you deserve nothing but respect. I just didn't think you had it in you to take someone's life."

She managed a weak smile.

"I don't. But I didn't want him to take another innocent life again. I've done what I needed to do. I won't get in the way anymore, I promise."

"Well, that's a good thing, I guess," said Mikey nervously. A.J. gave a shy giggle, which sounded eerily flat in the still-awkward atmosphere.

"Come on," said Leo. "Let's go find that last dude. And maybe Raf too, while we're at it."

A.J. giggled again.

"I'll stay here and make sure they don't wake up." She pointed the gun to the unmoving forms. "They don't know it's not loaded."

This time, everyone laughed, beginning to warm the air again, but Raf's voice suddenly stopped them cold.

"You guys?"

They turned around, and saw their final brother standing in the doorway.

"You all right, Raf?" asked Donny. "You look a little weird."

In response, Raf held up his sai. Though the water had washed most of it off, they could still see blood dripping from the blades. Leo's eyes widened.

"Raf, what have you done?"

"I'm sorry Leo," he said, his voice hoarse. "I just…I don't know what happened…I did it for you…"

He looked at A.J., and she held up the gun that was still in her right hand.

"Join the club," she said, smiling softly. "Thanks, Raf."

He smiled, then his face fell again.

"Master Splinter's gonna kill me."

"Master Splinter doesn't have to know," said Leo, and everyone's head turned to him.

"What?" four voices echoed as one.

"Master Splinter doesn't need to know," Leo repeated. "We won't tell him, Raf. You can, when you're ready, but that doesn't have to be now." He looked at Donny and Mikey, a look of mock sincerity on his face. "You hear that, guys? No tattling on Raf. This is his responsibility so…" by this time he was starting to laugh again. "So stay out of it!"

All five of them began to laugh uncontrollably, unsure as to why. They only knew that they couldn't stop themselves, and they laughed until they had tears in their eyes.

"This is horrible," said A.J., gasping for breath. "Two of us have committed murder in the first degree, and here we are laughing our heads off. We're sick, guys."

"Well actually," said Donny. "You committed murder in the second degree, because it was a 'spur of the moment' thing for both of you. Unless you came in here _expecting_ to kill somebody."

He looked from A.J. to Raf, and the room suddenly went quiet. A.J. shrugged.

"Well, what does it matter? They're dead, and no one knows about it but us. And I'm not gonna tell."

"Neither are we," said Raf, putting his sai back into his belt. "Are we, Fearless Leader?"

Leo shook his head.

"Nope. Now, let's get these guys tied up so they don't get away. A.J., we're going to need you to stay here and answer any questions the cops may have, whatever they may be. They'll have seen the smoke; they'll probably be here soon. Whatever you do, don't mention us."

"Yeah, cause we kinda like our privacy," said Mikey.

"And we really don't want the city to get the wrong idea and try to blame us for the crime," said Donny.

"Ooh yeah, that would be really bad," said A.J. "Well, since I'm the only one who knows about you, that makes it a lot easier. I'll just tell them that a specialized group of warriors clothed all in black saved us, killed the two that are already dead, and vanished into the night."

The boys looked at each other.

"That doesn't sound like the Foot Clan to me," said Mikey, and the others laughed except for A.J., who had a very confused look on her face.

"The who?" she asked, but Leo shook his head.

"Never mind. Old enemies of ours. They're pretty much eradicated now. Okay, stop fooling around and help me out here."

As he, Mikey and Donny began to bind the men together with a length of chain, Raf hung back to talk to A.J.

"Hey," he said to get her attention. She looked up.

"Yeah?"

"You know what he said to me? Back there on the roof, when I almost killed him? He said, 'Take care of her.' Even with his last breath, he was thinkin' of you. He really loves ya, and you were right. He does think about others first, and _I_ was the one who was wrong. I, uh…" this was going to very hard to say, but he had do it. He had to come clean with everyone: Master Splinter, his brothers, now her. "I hope you can forgive me."

She smiled warmly, the glow returning to her eyes.

"Oh Raf, I was so wrong about you. I thought you hated me, just like you hated everyone else, but now I see that you really love them all, you just didn't want to admit it."

"Yeah, I was stupid, and I blamed Leo for everythin', but it was really all my fault. I realize that now. I've made a huge mess out of all this, and now I gotta try and fix it. I gotta fess up, and admit what I done wrong, so I'm gonna apologize to you. For everythin'. I'm sorry. I see now why you love him, and not me."

She scoffed.

"Just because Leo's my boyfriend doesn't mean I don't love you. I may not love you the way you would like me to, but at least let's be friends about it. Try and think of me as a sister, because you guys are my friends, but you're more like family to me now. I love you all as though you really were my brothers, and I'll still be around even if this thing between me and Leo doesn't work out. After all, your friends you can choose, but not your family."

"Oh boy, ain't that true." He took the hand that wasn't holding the gun in both of his. "Thanks for bringin' us back together."

She scoffed again.

"I did no such thing. That was all you guys."

"But you made me realize what an idiot I was bein'."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Hey Raf, we need to go."

"Comin'."

As Raf followed Mikey and Donny out of the room, Leo took A.J.'s hand in his.

"Are you okay?"

She smiled, her green eyes beginning to shine. As the sounds of sirens wailing in the distance became audible, Leo's heart skipped. He had so longed to see her smile again.

"I'll be fine," she said. "Here."

She gave him the pistol.

"Take it. I don't want it."

His hand closed around the gun before he knew what he was doing.

"Okay. Look us up as soon as you can. As soon as the cops let you go."

"I will. So…we're still friends?"

In reply, he pulled her to him and kissed her. The sprinklers finally shut off, and the sirens grew louder, but he noticed none of this. To have his A.J. back in his arms again, safe and sound, to be wrapped up in her kiss and not have her backing away in fear was all that mattered right now, the world outside be damned. She pulled away for only a moment, then flung her arms around him and kissed him again, so fiercely that he caught and lifted her up off the ground, swinging her around in circles. She clutched him tighter, laughing as she curled her neck around his, heartbeat to heartbeat. He finally set her down when Mikey's head appeared in the doorway and he yelled, "Leo, dude! We gotta go!"

He released her at last. Even with tendrils of hair stuck to her face from the water, pale and a murderess, she was his, and he loved her more than ever.

"See you soon."

"I'll call you. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything," she said, and her hand slipped out of his as he bounded out to join his brothers outside.

* * *

Crouching up on top of an office building, well out of the sight of the police, fire department, paramedics and news reporters that were now swarming the scene below, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michaelangelo observed the activity. Excluding A.J., about a dozen women and girls were removed from the vicinity, wet and shivering, so weak they had to be carried out by the firemen, bundled up in blankets. Most of them were crying, probably from happiness due to their rescue. They saw A.J. come out, the only one walking on her feet, heels clicking, a blanket around her shoulders. She was being escorted by a police officer. For a moment, Leo panicked because he thought she was being arrested, but then she sat down on the bumper of an ambulance, and he remembered that he had the gun in his hand. The officer only appeared to be asking her questions anyway, jotting things down on a notepad as her lips moved. She looked badly shaken, but her condition was the best out of all the victims. 

After a while, he felt Raf put his hand on his shoulder.

"Come on. We've done all we can do."

Looking down at his beloved for a moment longer, he pondered at how close he had come to losing her again, then took off, leading his family back home.

**So the good guys win and the bad guys lose, but the story still isn't over yet. There's a few more loose ends we've still got to tie up, so don't run away. If you have any questions, comments, queries, quibbles or complaints that you would like me to address in my author's notes, now would be a good time to start thinking about them. I would advise you not to PM me, because I've disabled that feature for certain reasons, so please submit them in a review and I'll get to them.**

**Also, I don't know if anyone has looked at my Love Poems yet, but if you have, could you PLEEEEEZZ submit a review? I worked really hard on it, and I even got it to rhyme! I really want to know what you guys think, and it would be great if I could get some feedback! Thanks! **

**This has been a really great experience for me, both as a writer and as a person, and I'd like to thank everyone who read, and especially those who reviewed. Special thanks go to Gothchick101 and VAwitch, who were with me from the beginning! I'm glad you all stuck by my story, and made this journey with me, though it's only just beginning!**

**Thank you all so very, very much!**

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	15. Epilogue: Comin' Clean

**I have no shame in admitting this; I cried during this chapter. Take that, Ms. Rowling! Or Mrs., if she's married. **

**An author's note from the last chapter: A.J.'s supposed to be seventeen, not eighteen. **

**And finally, the Disclaimer: Don't own the Turtles, Master Splinter, or anything of that sort, nor do I own the movie White Christmas, though it has rapidly become one of my favorite Christmas movies. **

"One of the greatest tragedies ever seen is beginning to turn around," the reporter was saying when the boys returned to the lair to find Master Splinter on the couch in front of the television, staring intently at the screen, a cup of tea in his lap and his walking stick leaning against the arm. The reporter was standing live on the scene, and they could see lights flashing red and blue, and firemen carrying victims milling around in the background.

"Boys," said Master Splinter as they sat down to watch the rest of the report.

"A section of portables that were believed by officials to be office buildings has actually been a dungeon for at least twelve women, all between the ages of fifteen and sixty," the reporter was saying. "The women are reported to be victims of the operation known as 'The Orphan Train,' and are in very bad physical condition, some of them being so weak they are unable to walk. The bodies of two unconscious have been found inside, though their identities are not yet known. Authorities are conducting an immediate, on-sight investigation while victims are being driven to hospitals for necessary care. We'll keep you posted as more details become available."

The on-scene report ended, and Splinter switched off the TV.

"Well?" he asked, standing up and his sons bowed.

They told him everything from beginning to end, only leaving out the part about Raf killing one of the four men. He said nothing, but listened patiently until they were finished, and took the gun from Leo's hand when he held it up.

"It's hard to believe A.J. would do such a thing," he said quietly, looking at it.

"She had her reasons," said Leo. "At least that's what she said."

The old rat drew in a breath, then let it out slowly.

"Very well," he said finally. "But she is safe?" They all nodded. "Good. Well done, boys." He turned and went into the room where they kept all the things they had collected from their past, and as he did so, Raf seized the opportunity to run and get the duffel bag he had stashed outside of the lair, well hidden from his brothers' sight. There was something in there that he wouldn't be needing anymore.

* * *

Master Splinter placed the empty pistol on a shelf, standing back to admire everything that his sons had been through, the gun yet another adventure, another chapter in their lives. Though he may not have approved of what A.J. had done, it had been her choice, and she would have to face whatever consequences that lay in store for her.

"You got room for one more?"

Raphael's voice broke his thoughts. He turned and saw him holding a motorcycle helmet with headlamps fixed onto the sides.

"By all means," he said, and his son placed the helmet on the shelf next to the gun.

"Think it's time to put the Nightwatcher up once and for all," he said. "Master, there's somethin' I gotta explain to you…"

* * *

The case of the Orphan Train was shot heard around America. Nothing of this scale of horror and obscenity had been seen since Jack the Ripper. There was hardly anyone you passed by on the street who wasn't talking about it, and nearly every newspaper and magazine had it in their headlines.

So it came as no great surprise when the court case was aired on national television. Down in their lair, all four brothers and their father stayed up well into the daylight hours, watching with baited breath as the lawyers, witnesses, and suspects spoke their pieces. The two men they had found alive in the Orphan Train's HQ, were being charged with the rape and torture of eighteen women, the murder of five of them, and the attempted murder of one of them: the only one who survived before the police bust.

A.J. was cool and stern-faced as she sat in the witness stand and gave her testimony, identifying the men on trial as the ones who had raped, beaten and shot her. She told her story in a calm, quiet fashion, never once raising her voice, something the defendants' lawyer ripped into her for, saying that she couldn't possibly be telling the truth because she was far too collected for someone who'd been through a traumatic experience. As he told the jury this, she simply looked at him and asked if he had gotten a degree in psychology instead of law.

"Ooh, burn baby!" yelled Mikey as she said this, and Leo made a mental note to give her a little extra thanks for that one. Not that he really could blame the lawyer, he was only doing his job, but he had an inkling that if he'd been the one to rescue A.J. that rainy night and witness for himself the wounds she'd suffered, he wouldn't be so keen to jump all over her.

Ten of the dozen women rescued were able to give testimony, but the other two had died in the hospital only a few hours after they were rescued: fifteen and sixteen year old sisters who were just too weak to survive the horrors that had been committed against them. The doctors had done everything they could to save them, but they were so far gone that it was too late. Other witnesses included some of the police officers and firemen who were present at the scene, doctors with DNA test results, and some of the family members of those who had been killed. The lawyer supporting those of the Orphan Train did the best he could, the best anyone _could _do in his situation, but the evidence was overwhelming, and the two were found guilty of all the charges set against them, landing them with two jail cells on Death Row.

The only thing that remained a mystery was the deaths of the other two men. A.J. had explained to the police what had happened, sticking to her story about the mysterious warriors in black, but she warned them that it would probably be unwise to release this information to the general public, and that this whole thing would be a big enough operation as it was, so there was really no need to involve anything more. The men were dead and their attackers preferred to remain anonymous, so they should just leave it at that.

In the end, A.J. and the surviving victims of the Orphan Train came up with a story that said that the two men who were alive were responsible for the crimes against them, and the other two were never mentioned at all.

For everyone who had been affected by the Orphan Train: the families of those who had died and those who had survived, the women themselves, and the turtles, the sentencing of the criminals was a collective sigh of relief and a unanimous cheer. At long last, after much heart and headache, tears and nightmares, the whole ordeal was finally over. Good had triumphed once again, and the bad guys had gotten what they deserved. The whole thing had taken nearly a month to finally resolve, the decision being reached the first week of December.

That night, A.J. came over to celebrate their victory, a tub of vanilla ice cream in one hand and a bottle of root beer in the other, her camera hanging from a chord on her wrist. Almost as soon as Leo entered the room with her, she was off her feet again as Mikey hugged her so hard she thought he would crush her. By the time the other two brothers had gotten through with her, her ribs were aching and her breasts were sore from being smushed so hard so many times.

But when she felt an arm slide gently around her waist from behind and turn her around, her heart nearly melted, and her pains were immediately forgotten. She stared into Leo's chocolate eyes, warmth washing over her in waves, happy for nothing better than to be with her hero again. During her involvement with the courts, she had been so busy that she hadn't had time to come over and see any of them, what with school in the morning, work in the afternoons, and working with the lawyers and other witnesses every free moment she had. She also had to deal with her father yelling in her face every chance he got. He had not wanted her to testify in court, claiming that it was not good for her, and that it was more trouble than it was worth.

"They'll never get convicted anyway: you're wasting your time," he had said, but by now, she didn't care what he thought, nor did she feel she had any reason to obey him.

Now it was over. The villains were on Death Row, and she was free. Bone-weary, but free. Now it was a time to party with her best friends in all the world, the ones whose supporting voices over the phone had been all she hung on to for the past month, unable to see them because of her hectic schedule. She had missed them all, but she had missed her Leo the most. Now that she was actually here, in his arms, looking up at his kind face, it was all she could do to keep from fainting right then and there.

""Mikey, Raf, come on," Donny said. His voice sounded far away even though he was right next to her, taking the ice cream, soda and her camera from her hands. "I think these two need a moment."

She would have rather had a year, or maybe forever, but if a moment was all they were allowed, then they would have to make the most of it. She put her arms around his neck, no words, no questions, no explanations as he leaned forward. Not too slow, not to fast, and she didn't have to wait long as she closed her eyes and let him kiss her. His tongue swirled through the corners of her mouth with an ease as though he'd done it all his life, and she wondered if she would either die or explode with happiness. Lip-locked, she felt him bend her backwards like she were a princess in a fairy tale, one of his legs between hers, his arms holding her tight in promise that she wouldn't fall. Wrapped up in each other, neither one of them realized that Donny had taken a picture with her camera, the first one of the evening. Looking at it later, they saw it really was a good picture, with them standing at the top of the staircase in each other's arms, and it would become their favorite.

"AAAAWWWW!!!" his three brothers chorused, applauding, and the lovebirds broke away, needing to breathe.

"I love you," Leo whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered back, giving him a quick peck before he pulled her upright and, hand in hand, they raced down the stairs to get their hands on a root beer float.

* * *

Much later that evening, after the sugar hype had died way down, Leo and A.J. were curled up in the same armchair, watching _White Christmas_ on the television. Mikey was stretched out on the couch, snoring, while Donny was asleep in his chair as well. Master Splinter sat cross-legged on a chair he had taken from the kitchen table and Raf was sitting on the floor, staring at the TV but not interested in the movie, his mind elsewhere. At a commercial break, Leo stood up as he put A.J. out of his lap and back by herself in the chair.

"Hang on, sweetheart. I'm going to the restroom. I'll be back."

"Okay," she said. Raf saw his brother leave, and seized his chance. He had enough of Bing Crosby's crooning anyway.

After heeding the call of nature, Leo washed his hands, dried them, and nearly bumped into Raf as he opened the door and headed back to the living room.

"Sorry Raf," he said.

"'S fine," his brother said. "Can I calk to you for a sec?"

"Sure," Leo answered, gesturing him into his room, which was next door. "What's up?"

"I know this ain't a great time," he began. "With A.J. bein' over an' stuff."

"No, no. It's never a bad time when one of my brothers wants to talk to me about something."

"Yeah, well. It won't take long."

Leo leaned against his door, folding his arms over his chest.

"What is it?"

"There's something I gotta say to you, bro. It ain't gonna be easy for me, but I gotta do it. I got us into a really big mess, and now I gotta fix it. I gotta come clean, with Master Splinter, with A.J., and now with you."

"A.J.? What have you done to A.J.?"

"I'll tell ya in a minute. First, I gotta say that I'm sorry for what I did to you. For bein' stubborn and not respectin' you, as a leader and as a brother. I was really stupid, and I blamed you for everythin', but it was really my fault. I was the one bein' stuck-up and foolish, and I didn't even realize it. I thought I was doin' somethin' good by becomin' the Nightwatcher, but I wasn't. Maybe it was good for the city, but not for our family. And I'm sorry I thought you only cared about yourself. You proved me wrong when you asked me to take care of A.J. the night I almost killed you. And I'm sorry for that, too."

Leo couldn't believe his ears. Raphael, his proud, hotheaded brother was apologizing? To him? Admitting that he was wrong, and that Leo was right? It was something he had hoped would happen for a long time, but it still threw him for a loop when it actually happened. For a moment, he just stared in surprise, then he shook his head. Raf had been honorable enough to say he was sorry, and it would be about as dishonorable of Leo if he didn't forgive him.

"It's…" he paused, thinking of what to say. "It's all right, Raf. I forgive you, and I'm sorry I wasn't patient with you. I know I can be overbearing sometimes, but I just want the best for you."

"I know. That's what A.J. said, but I didn't want to believe her."

"You talked to A.J?"

"Yeah, one night on her roof. She'd figured out I was the Nightwatcher, and boy, did she let me have it."

Leo smiled, trying to picture his petite little A.J. screaming her head off at his brother, who had to be at least twice her size.

"She told me what an idiot I was bein', and she made me feel like I was three inches tall."

"I can't see her doing that."

"That's 'cause you never pissed her off. I mean, really pissed her off. Like, mad enough to make her yell."

That was true. He had seen her shoot a man and not shed a tear, but for some reason, he couldn't see her raising her voice above a level, conversational tone, and certainly not in anger.

"Anyway, I brought her up because there's somethin' I need to tell you, and it would be really great if you didn't tell Mikey and Donny about this. I'll never hear the end of it."

Leo smiled.

"My lips are sealed," he said. He'd decide later if it was really worth keeping from his brothers.

"Well, I liked A.J. too. I shouldn't say it like that, 'cause I still do. But she doesn't like me, not like that anyway, and that really hurt me, especially when she ended up likin' you. It was one more reason to hate you, but I know now that it was her choice, and that it wasn't your fault. But I blamed you anyway, and I shouldn't have."

It had been hard apologizing to A.J., and even harder to tell Master Splinter that he had some blood on his hands, but this was the hardest apology he'd ever had to make. He was amazed he'd gotten the words out to begin with, but even more amazed when he realized that he was kneeling down before his brother, proving that there was meaning to his words, and that he was being truthful.

But to Leo, it may as well have been the Apocalypse. He was confused that his brother would admit this, joyous that he had done so, and slightly amused that they had been silently battling for the same girl and he hadn't even realized it.

"Does A.J. know?"

"Yeah, I told her. I'm sorry, bro."

He hung his head, not sure if he was going to get a tongue-lashing that he'd been in love with his brother's girl, or if he was going to do something else.

In fact, Leo did the latter. Bending over, he helped his brother to his feet.

"I forgive you for that too, unless you were fooling around with her behind my back."

"I never! Even I got more sense than that!"

"Well in that case, you have my forgiveness."

He stepped back, holding his arms out.

"Are you still too far away to hug your brother?"

To answer him, Raf took a step forward, closing the distance between them, and enveloped Leo in a tight embrace. His head on his shoulder, he couldn't believe there were tears in his eyes. To be a family again: if he had know how great a feeling that was, he would have done it sooner. There was no satisfaction in working alone; he needed his brothers by his side, as one, all together.

"I love you, Raf."

"I love ya too, bro."

They let go, and with their arms around each other's shoulders, they headed back into the living room where their family awaited them, their feet as light as their hearts.

**And that's the end. And it's brotherly love, not slash, people!! **

**Yeah, I know a real court case would take much longer to resolve, but for the sake of the story, let's just say it takes a month, okay? **

**Thanks again for reading, and I hope this gave everyone the warm and fuzzies. Again, if you have anything you would like me to address, please post it in a review and I'll get to it next week. Love to all, and the sequel shall be around soon! **

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